Two Can Play That Game
by rocketandroll17
Summary: It was supposed to be just a one time thing: a naughty trick of seduction to be played on the Pluspol award winning chef, Shinomiya Kojiro. But he knew better. It's a battle of seduction from one cunning flirt to another. Who will fall in the end? Watch out, things are about to get hot and heavy![Shinomiya x OC]
1. One Night Only

Chapter 1 : One Night Only

Another stupid party.

Shinomiya Kojiro breathed in deeply and let out a huge sigh. He drummed his fingers on the bar top as he sat there, seeming to be in his own little world. He managed to dodge a few ladies who desperately tried to throw themselves at him a few minutes ago. He was getting impatient at the lone bartender who was dealing with about twenty drink orders at the same time. How hard was it to give him a glass of whiskey? It must have been about ten minutes already and he grew more peeved by the minute.

A woman with long brown hair squeezed herself in between the tipsy guests crowding over the bar. "Excuse me!" she cried, trying her best to get to the front. "Really, just get a drink and go, please!" she rolled her eyes.

Finally making it to the front, she took a breath and stabilized her hands on the counter top. "A gin and tonic." she requested, putting her pointer up to the bartender. He didn't seem to hear her. "A gin and tonic, please!" she repeated, hoping he would hear her this time.

Making her way into the crowd resulted into disheveling her long, brown hair. She ran her fingers through it and flipped a few strands back. She then smoothed out her tight, red, mini dress. "Geez," she mumbled as she looked at the bartender who was still struggling to take orders.

She looked left and right before pushing a few glasses off the counter top. She grabbed a napkin and wiped the drops of liquid on the counter before carelessly discarding it. Then, she turned around and pushed herself up over the counter, kicking her heels in the process. Nobody seemed to notice what was happening, except for the coral-haired chef who was just a bar stool away from her. She was able to notice him staring at her. To which, she just smirked and placed a finger on her lips, as if to say that what she was doing was a secret.

From behind the bar, she grabbed the bottle of gin and a can of tonic. She placed it in front of him, when she stopped and thought about her audience. The brunette turned to him and placed a hand on her hip. "Can I get you anything?" she asked.

"Well, whiskey, neat." he replied. He might as well take advantage of the situation while she was there.

She grabbed a bottle of the finest whiskey on display and placed it in front of him. "Knock yourself out." she said and skilfully pushed herself up and over the bar top again.

"No glass?" he quipped.

She sighed and rolled her eyes at him. "Ungrateful bastard." she smirked and reached behind the bar for a clean glass. "You're welcome." she added sarcastically.

The brunette then grabbed her heels and quickly placed them back on her feet. When she looked up, she was surprised to see the chef holding out the bottle of gin and can of tonic out for her. She took it from him, "Thank you."

She nodded her head and walked away slowly, but then turned back and called out, "Hey, how long do you want to sit around here with all these drunken nitwits?"

* * *

She walked in a straight line, her hips swaying back and forth seductively as her tight dress did justice to accentuating her reasonably good looking backside. Kojiro couldn't help but take a quick glance at this as he walked behind her with his bottle of gin. "Where on earth are we going?' he finally asked, trying to distract himself from the naughty thoughts in his head.

"Somewhere more quiet." she simply replied. "What should I call you?"

He hesitated at first to say his name. In the past, he didn't even need an introduction. It was refreshing to hear someone still ask such a rare question. But with his shock, he was also a bit insulted that this girl did not know who he was. He was Shinomiya Kojiro, of course. The Pluspol award winning chef. He was brilliant, extremely attractive, and wealthy. Every man and woman was throwing themselves at him at the party. How could she not notice? How could she be so ignorant?

"Just to let you know, I know who you are." she stopped and turned to him. "I mean, I just think its polite of me to ask."

Keeping the same, stoic expression on his face, he replied, "Shinomiya Kojiro."

"Nice to meet you," she said with a smile. "Yamamoto Bella. Call me Bella."

He didn't show much interest at this, so she just turned around and continued walking. A minute later, they finally wound up at the rooftop patio of the hotel. "Ah, here we are," she declared, balancing the can and bottle with one arm and pushing the door open with another. "The best view of the city and the best way to get away from all the drunk perverts."

"You say that, and yet, you've worn such a revealing dress." he pointed out.

She placed down the liquor on a table. "The way I dress doesn't give you the right to take advantage of me." there was a hint of agitation in her voice.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that with me." he affirmed, taking a seat and pouring in the whiskey in a glass.

"I know." she answered and joined him. She opened the bottle of gin and can of tonic. Since she did not bother bringing a glass with her, she basically took a swig of the alcohol and used the tonic as a chaser. Kojiro was surprised with her lack of refinement.

"So, chef, what brings you here to this party?" she asked, intently looking at his amber eyes.

"To show respect to Totsuki."

"My, my, how very noble of you."

It was the New Year's Eve party of the Totsuki International Group. All the notable alumni of the school were invited, that included Shinomiya and his friends, Hinako, Donato, and Mizuhara. However, at one point in the party, some of them were getting pretty tipsy and annoying that Kojiro decided to leave them and find his own peace. He just wasn't in the mood to mingle, especially since he was getting pissed off at all the desperate ladies who kept coming up to him.

They sat in silence, drinking and taking in the cool, night air. It was nice to get away from all the chaos. As much as Kojiro cherished the silence, his couldn't contain his curiosity. "What's your business here?"

Bella smirked at his question. She was glad she finally sensed his interest in her. "I'm Chef Donato's sous chef. I'm here with him."

He was a little surprised at this information. He hadn't noticed them come in together. Moreover, Donato didn't even bother to introduce her earlier. An attractive woman like her, he guessed that his friend must have been dating her. "And you just left your boyfriend?" he asked.

She stifled laughter. "Boyfriend? Are you serious? He's my boss."

"And so?"

"Well, is there an unwritten code of conduct that sous chefs are automatically required to date their supervisors?"

He smirked at her ferocity. "Touché."

She checked her slim wristwatch. "Oh, it's almost time." she exclaimed, jumping out of her seat. Bella walked excitedly to the ledge. She looked back at him and waved her hand, inviting him over. "Come on,"

"I'm fine." he said, keeping himself in his seat.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Fine, whatever," she answered and turned to the sky. "Five, four, three, two, one." she whispered to herself and on cue, a booming sound erupted as the multi-colored fireworks took over the night sky.

Bella clasped her hands together and smiled. She had been waiting for this the entire year. "You're a fan of fireworks?" Kojiro asked, as she was surprised to find him standing behind her.

Without looking at him, she replied, "Pretty much."

"I thought children were the only ones who got excited about them." he mocked.

"I thought children were the only ones who got cranky at this hour." she retorted, keeping her hazel eyes on the view.

He was half amused, half pissed at her reply. "You've got a lot of nerve, don't you?"

"You can thank me for that bottle of whiskey by shutting up and letting me enjoy this moment."

"What a brat." he commented.

"Tsk," Bella spat. "You really are ungrateful, aren't you?" she turned to him with a hand on her hip.

He took a step forward with the glass of whiskey and raised it to her. "Thank you."

A smirked etched on her lips as she grabbed the glass and took a sip. She turned back to the fireworks. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you said 'thank you'. Wouldn't want to tarnish your intense reputation now, would we?"

She could hear his voice loud and clear from a few inches away. "What else can you keep a secret?" Kojiro asked.

Bella turned and found his eyes wandering about her figure. "I'm great at keeping my mouth shut, _chef_." her voice thick and heavy at the title.

No words were needed as they've both already understood their body language. His hands landed on the small of her back as he pulled her close. Maybe it was the number of glasses of whiskey he's had. Perhaps it was also just the fact that she was the most exciting thing he's seen all night. Whatever it was, he felt like playing around. If ever this girl was just another fan waiting for an exposé about their one night affair, he would easily be able to ignore it. Nobody would believe a commoner compared to a superstar like him.

Kojiro leaned in and kissed her. His tongue licked hers, begging for entrance as she kissed him with just as much fervor. Her hands settled on his hair, running through them gently as he pulled her in tighter to his body. "Mmm," she moaned into the kiss. This sent out a signal to the chef that she was ready for more. He then moved his lips away from hers and slid them to her neck, nipping, kissing and licking as she kept letting off sounds of satisfaction.

Her hands travelled to the buttons of his dress shirt. She started to loosen a few just so she's able to place her hand on his bare chest. As she did this, his hands traveled down to her bottom. He felt it up, basking in the satisfaction of feeding his curiosity from just staring at it earlier.

As the sounds of the fireworks died down, Bella's common sense suddenly kicked in. "Your place or mine?" she whispered to him, her breath hot and heavy in his ear.

"Mine." he simply replied.

* * *

Kojiro unlocked the door and pulled her inside his hotel room. The minute the door clicked to lock itself, he pinned her to the wall and continued to shower her with kisses. She motioned to slide off his coat, and he searched for the zipper of her dress. They moved onto the bed, not keeping their hands and lips away from each other.

"Chef," she called. There was something sexy about the way she said it. Perhaps it was the fact that he felt more in command whenever she moaned the title to him.

"Mmm," he answered, his lips still on her skin as he was sliding her dress off.

"Get me a drink." she demanded.

He was taken aback by her command. He stood up and said, "Shouldn't you be the one getting me a drink?"

She kissed his torso before answering, "I'm a sous chef, not a slave."

He huffed and just decided to fulfil her request. Anyway, he was thirsty as well. A few seconds later, he came in with two drinks.

"Thank you." she said, taking the drink from him.

He sat next to her. As he sipped on his whiskey, his hand trailed her back, drawing circles as he enjoyed feeling her soft skin against his fingers. "How long have you been with Donato?"

"A year now." she answered, taking a huge swig of her drink. "We met each other in Italy over the summer, and he invited me to work for him back in Tokyo."

"Are you from Italy?"

She took a quick side glance at him and finished her drink. After setting it down on the table, she then positioned her legs over him, straddling his waist. "No personal questions, chef." she said and reached out her hand to take his glass. "May I?"

He reached up and placed a kiss on her lips before letting her discard the glass. Kojiro laid back and allowed himself to marvel at this mysterious woman. Her voluptuous figure was accentuated by her lacy red underwear. But more importantly, it was her personality that made her much more attractive. Everything she did was nonchalantly taken into consideration. There were no strings, no headaches, and most of all, nothing personal; just the way he liked it. He surely would enjoy this night after all.

Bella slid off his shirt and started grazing her lips on his neck. Her lips curved up in delight when she heard him let out deep sighs and grunts. She moved back to kiss him on the lips, biting and teasing as she allowed her hips to brush back and forth his pelvis. The foreplay was enjoyable, but he was already feeling his arousal, and he wanted to let things move quicker. He guided her hands to his belt, giving her permission to undress him. She chuckled at his impatience.

"Getting impatient now, are we?" she hummed into his ear as she pressed her pelvis more against his.

He grunted and flipped her over, letting her be underneath him. Kojiro looked at her and became intoxicated with the sight of her disheveled hair, wide hazel eyes, and half opened lips. She started to unbuckle his belt as she reached for his lips. And then she felt him kicking off his pants after she loosened them.

 _Ring. Ring. Ring._

The sound of a phone ringing broke her concentration. There was no mistaking it, it was definitely her cellphone. Kojiro didn't mind it though, as Bella pulled herself up to look around the room in search for it. He continued by reaching for the lock of her brassiere to unhinge it.

 _Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Sorry," she said, putting a hand on his chest.

He grunted in annoyance, just as he was able to unhook her intimates. She covered her chest and grabbed her phone, pushing the call button to answer, "Yes, Chef?"

Kojiro looked away and felt a little disappointed upon hearing her use the title with another person. He liked hearing her say it to him, but he forgot he wasn't the only one she had to use it with. He knew exactly whom she was talking to and he made a mental note to punch his friend the next time they saw each other. How dare he disturb them at this time.

Bella ended the call and gathered her clothes, dressing up quickly. "Donato needs me. Sorry about that." she said.

He walked over to her and pinned her against the wall. "We're not done here." he hissed, kissing and nibbling her collarbone area.

"I know," she nonchalantly replied, unfazed by his actions. "But I'm being called. You know how it is." she reminded as she slid her fingers down over his boxers, running through his hardness. He shuddered a bit at the contact. "I'll take care of that next time." she told him with a wink and slipped under him.

"You're seriously going to leave right now?" he exasperatingly ran his fingers through his hair. "God, you're a tease."

"Duty calls." she simply replied, zipping up her dress.

She grabbed her things and prepared to walk out the door. "Nice meeting you, chef." she said, grabbing the door knob. "Let's do this again...if you'll have me."

* * *

Bella didn't even wait for him to react or even give a response as she exited the room. She wasn't interested in knowing what he had to say, because for her, the mission was over. She got into an elevator and exited on the 7th floor. She walked the hallways, looking for a particular room, until she stopped and knocked three times.

"Bella," Hinako greeted, as she opened the door.

"I'm back." she said, entering the room.

Before her were Kojiro's three friends, sitting in the living room area of the hotel suite as they sipped on various liquids. Mizuhara was chugging down water, trying to sober up from all the alcohol she was drinking. Hinako was drinking tea. Donato, her boss, was still nursing a glass of liquor.

"How did it go?" Donato asked.

She took a seat next to Mizuhara. "I guess it went well...hopefully."

"Would you like some tea or a glass of scotch?" Hinako offered.

The brunette waved her hand. "No more liquor, please. I've already taken a lot with your friend. Tea would be just fine."

Hinako turned to the kitchen and got to work in preparing the tea. "So, where did you end up?" Mizuhara asked.

"His room, actually. We were kind of in the middle of something when you called." a flush streamed across her cheeks as she looked at her boss.

Donato chuckled in delight. "And then?"

"I left him hanging, just as you said I should. You called at the right time as well."

"No way!" Hinako laughed as she placed the tea cup down.

"You guys, is it really okay that we're messing with Kojiro like this?" Mizuhara grew concerned.

"He deserves it!" Hinako crossed her arms over her chest. "Kojiro's been too much of a grouch lately. It's payback time."

"I don't know where you guys are getting at with this, really." Bella commented, taking a sip of herbal tea. "I mean, a lot of women have been throwing themselves at him during the party. For all we know, he could be calling someone right now to take care of his 'business' since I didn't."

"Or, you know...he could just be sadly jerking himself off." Mizuhara pointed out and the entire room burst out laughing.

"Such crude humor," Bella commented at her seniors. "I can't believe you guys are actually having a ball at this."

Donato stood up and reach out his hand out to his sous chef. "Great job, Bella." he said as he shook her hand. "If there's anything we know about our friend, Kojiro, is that he hates not getting what he wants."

"It's torture for him, really." Hinako added.

"And you leaving at such a _crucial_ time…" Donato chuckled. "That was _horrible_ , not for you, but for him."

Bella ran her fingers through her hair. "Chef, you better give me a bonus for this." she jested.

"Let's see how pissed off Kojiro is tomorrow when he sees you with Donato." Hinako tried to stifle her laughter.

"You really love to push his buttons, huh?" Bella pointed out.

"It's not everyday that we get to do so." Mizuhara commented.

"And that dress, Bella," Donato gazed at his sous chef, " _Bellissima_ ," he praised, blowing a kiss towards her.

"Kojiro loves a woman in red," Hinako chimed in. "We've always known deep down he was such a pervert too."

Bella sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. I guess it was pretty normal for friends to play trick on one another. At first, she felt offended when she was asked to do such a task. But then, she was always someone who was up for a little bit of fun. With just a tiny bit of reluctance, she decided to give into their request. She had no regrets, though. It's been a while since she's been touched by a man anyway.

As the four of them laughed and exchanged stories about the world-renowned chef they have just fooled, little did they know that Shinomiya Kojiro was on his way to their room.

* * *

 **Author's Note** :First Shinomiya story! If you love naughty fiction, this might be for you! Hahaha. Leave me some love in the reviews? Merry Christmas!


	2. Tricks and Temptation

Chapter 2: Tricks and Temptation

Shinomiya Kojiro walked the hallways of the 7th floor of the Totsuki Resort Hotel. With his head down and hands in his pockets, a frown was plastered on his face. It was safe to say that he was pissed. He himself wondered why he needed to see his friend, Donato, at this ungodly hour. Somehow, he could not shake off the events that transpired earlier that night.

She left him hanging; and nobody leaves Shinomiya Kojiro in the dark. He was utterly annoyed at this, and although unsure of his true intentions for the late night visit, he was certain that he wanted to give Donato a good talk about the rudeness of his sous chef. At the same time, he wondered if she would be in the same room.

Meanwhile, inside the room, the three friends and sous chef continued to talk about the victim of the night. "Remember the time that we tried to sabotage Kojiro when he was having a Shokugeki with that kid - Yukihira Soma!" Hinako said with glee.

"Uh, I think that was just you, Hinako." Mizuhara shook her head. "And it wasn't Yukihira, it was that blue-haired girl you obsessed with, Tadokoro, who went up against him."

Shades of pink flushed across Hinako's cheeks. "Ahh, Megumi-chan, I miss her so much!" she gushed. She then snapped out of her daydream and grinned. "Well, we finally got Shinomiya-senpai this time!"

Bella crossed her arms over her chest. "Shinomiya went up against a student?" she was quite surprised by this news. "Isn't that a little bit off? I mean, a student versus a professional?"

"That was a year ago. And it was the student who challenged Koji-"

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

The four people in the room stopped to listen. Someone knocking at this ungodly hour? Apart from Bella's arrival, they were not expecting anyone else.

"How vile of him to even stoop down to the level of a student." Bella scrunched up her face in disgust, as they all tried to ignore the sound at the door.

But this time, it was unmistakable. "Oi, Donato, open up." Kojiro called from the other side of the door.

Hinako went into a frenzy, waving her arms and fanning it to her face. "What the hell is he doing here?!" she whispered in panic.

Donato and Mizuhara were just as surprised as she was. "Donato," he called again.

"Bella, hide!" Hinako hissed as she aggressively pushed her to one of the bedrooms of the suite.

Once the coast was clear, Donato finally rushed to the door to open it. "Hey, Kojiro!"

He was not the least bit happy. "What took you so long to open the door?" he then looked around and noticed Hinako and Mizuhara standing oddly beside each other. "You guys are here too."

"Sobering up." Mizuhara raised her glass of water.

"Shinomiya-senpai, where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you at the party."

The coral-haired chef simply walked past his junior and made his way to the bar to fix himself a drink. You would think he had a lot of them by now, but judging by the agitated state he was in, it looked like he needed another round. "You guys were too annoying. I had to get some air."

"How rude!" Hinako called out to him. "Christmas is way over, and yet, we still have The Grinch!" she continued to insult, until Kojiro threw her a quick death glare and karate chopped her head with ease.

"Now, now, it's a new year, Kojiro." Donato joined him in refilling the liquor. "Maybe it's time to change bad habits."

Kojiro made himself comfortable on the arm chair with his drink. "It's really more of Hinako who should change. Right, old hag?" he jested.

Hinako crossed her arms over her chest and averted his gaze. "Ugh! You're terrible Shinomiya-senpai! I hope you wind up dying alone!"

"Though, it's not really impossible for you to end up alone too, Hinako." Mizuhara pointed out as well.

"What!" she exclaimed. "I'll have you know that I've been dating!"

The blonde chef joined his friends lounging on the couch. "Hinako, come on, the last time you dated was years ago." he commented. "A few men approached you earlier at the party. You barely gave them the time of day."

"Kojiro did the same thing!" Hinako was obviously looking for someone to drag down with her.

"You guys should die alone together." Mizuhara mused. She was usually the cold hearted one in the group. "Though, technically, that would mean that you aren't really alone. You guys could have your tombstones right beside each other."

"To hell with that!" Kojiro spat. "No way I'll still be with this halfwit in the after life."

Donato could not help but laugh out loud at their exchange. It was such a mystery how the four of them managed to remain friends with this kind of relationship. But somehow, as the years have gone by, their bond has been stronger than ever. No matter how many insults have been thrown around, they have always looked out for each other. Although some of them have been based abroad and back in Tokyo, they made it a point to see each other once in a while.

The Italian chef stood up and raised his glass, "Let's toast to a new year, and an even stronger friendship."

The remaining three let out small smiles and did the same. The glasses clinked. "Cheers!"

There were a few seconds of silence and reflection. Kojiro cleared his throat and finally spoke, "Donato, did you come here with someone?" his head was down and his eyes were hidden behind the shadow of his glasses.

It took a second for him to reply, as he shot a nervous look at Mizuhara and Hinako. "Yes, have I not introduced her to you?" he chuckled lightly. "My bad, I guess I was just too excited to see everyone at the party. I always assume she can mingle pretty well with everyone, so she'd be fine on her own." he stopped and gave a look to his friend.

"Bella, right?" Kojiro confirmed, looking up.

"Yes, her name is Bella." Donato replied. Of course, he already knew they met, but he just assumed that it was wise to play along for now and see where the conversation would go. "Oh, I suppose you've met her?"

He nodded his head and frowned. "Yes, quite a rude woman, actually."

"What are you talking about? Bella is the best!" Hinako beamed.

"Oh, so you've met her."

"Yes, I have, and she was wonderful!"

Kojiro clicked his tongue. "I don't think so." he replied, standing up and heading over to the bar once again, but this time, to check out bottles of liquor that they had lying around.

Hinako pouted and pretended to whisper to Mizuhara. "This is exactly why he's going to die alone."

Mizuhara, being the bold and nonchalant one of the group decided it was time to say something. "Shinomiya," she started, as Kojiro continued to observe the choices of liquor. "Sounds like you have a _boner_ to pick with her."

Kojiro almost dropped the bottle of 20-year old bourbon. Donato sat in shock. Hinako covered her mouth and tried her best to not burst out laughing. Mizuhara was quick to jump in, "Oh, I meant _bone_ to pick with her." she said this with a smirk on her face, noticing him freeze in front of the bar.

"What...the hell did you say?" Kojiro growled as he tilted his head to them.

"Seems like she gave you...a _hard_ time." Mizuhara prodded even more. She enjoyed the slow torture she was giving him.

"Shinomiya, why are you standing so... _erect_?"

"I can't take it anymore!" Hinako guffawed. It was just way too much for her to handle. She rolled on the floor, clenching her stomach as she emitted fits of laughter.

"Shut up!" Kojiro finally turned around, clutching the glass and the bottle with both his hands. "How the hell!" he glared at Donato, who also joined Hinako at laughing to their heart's content. "Shut up!"

"Oh, S-Shinomiya-senpai!" Hinako said in between cackles. "I-I told y-you! Bella is wonderful! W-we got you good!"

"What the hell are you talking about!" Kojiro turned to them and demanded. His face was tense; brows furrowed together, sweat dripping on the sides of his forehead, and jaw clenched in ire. Shinomiya Kojiro had never felt so embarrassed...no, humiliated all his life. Just then, the brunette opened the door and stepped out, leaning her slender body on the doorway.

"Hi, chef." she grinned, crossing her arms over her chest.

* * *

"Kojiro, did you know that Bella also graduated from Totsuki? What a coincidence, right?" Donato mused.

"I still can't believe we've never seen each other considering that they weed out a lot of students each year." Hinako added.

Bella shyly smiled. "Well, I was a year younger than you, Hinako." She shrugged her shoulders and looked up to the ceiling in thought. "Also, I'm pretty sure I looked different back then."

"Its expected. I mean, its been almost ten years since we graduated." Donato replied.

"Except Mizuhara. She still barely has boobs!" Hinako joked, which in turn, earned her a death glare from her friend.

The two women continued to throw insults at each other. Kojiro was getting peeved by the noise so he cleared his throat loudly to catch their attention.

After finding out about the trick his friends played on him, it took a while for him to calm down. As an extra precaution, the four of them - Hinako, Bella, Mizuhara and Donato sat far away from him. They left him with the bottle of 20-year old bourbon, which would definitely be charged to Donato's room service bill. It will cost him a fortune, but Kojiro knew it was only one of the ways that he could let them pay for their dirty trick.

Becoming more and more bored by the minute, Mizuhara released a loud yawn and checked the time. "How long are we planning to stay like this? It's almost 4 in the morning."

"Shut up." Kojiro spat. Clearly, he was still upset.

"We said we're sorry, Shinomiya-senpai." Hinako cried. Although she was ecstatic about the idea of this trick at first, now, she could not help but feel utter regret. All she wanted to do was go to bed, and Kojiro wouldn't let them go.

"Shut up."

"You can't stay mad at us forever, Kojiro." Donato spoke as a-matter-of-factly. "This was just a little trick."

Kojiro remained tense despite the apologies. He rested his chin on his palm, elbow on the armrest as he continued to glower at his friends. Bella then instinctively stood up and walked towards him. She placed a hand on her hip and reached out with the other as she gestured to his glass. "Let me clean that up for you, chef." she offered.

He didn't budge at first, until she said, "Come on, chef. Let me be at your service." He then took a quick, disapproving glance at her. He felt a pit form in his stomach as her disheveled image on his bed flashbacked in his mind. He looked away and placed the glass up, gesturing for her to take it away. She smiled at him in return. As she walked away, he grumbled, "I will kill you guys."

Hinako placed a hand on her cheek and sighed. "I'm quite surprised that this happened sooner than expected. I thought we would see Shinomiya-senpai in the morning."

"Why are you even here, Shinomiya?" Mizuhara asked, glancing at the wall clock. "It's really late."

Kojiro gritted his teeth as his friends turned to him, waiting for a reply. Truth be told, he never fully realized why he was there in the first place. It was as if his feet had instinctively led him to his friend's room to look for answers about what happened with Bella. Maybe he wanted to seek her out and get revenge for leaving him hanging. Whatever the exact reason was, it all led to the fact that it was to talk about the brunette that he had encountered that night.

Hinako crawled towards her senior. "Shinomiya-senpai...you were looking for Bella, weren't you?" she playfully whispered into his ear.

He immediately grabbed her into a headlock. "Shut up." Once he let go, he crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "Of all the tricks you had to play on me... _this_ , really?"

"Why not?" Mizuhara retorted. "I mean, we all know you're terrible with women. Whatever would happen, the situation will likely end up in shams...we might as well get a good laugh out of it."

A vein etched on Kojiro's forehead. "I'm not terrible with women!"

"Bella-san," Hinako called out to the brunette in the kitchen. She then popped her head out of the doorway in reply. "Do you think Shinomiya-senpai is a good lover?"

Mizuhara immediately smacked the back of Hinako's head. "You can't ask people that so openly!"

Bella's lips etched into an awkward pout. A slight flush of pink streamed across her cheeks. "He's okay, I guess."

Kojiro was baffled. He stood up from his seat and clenched his fist. He stared directly at the brunette and said, "Well, of course you don't know yet, because Donato called right before I was about to -"

He stopped himself and realized how the room had gone silent. All eyes on him as jaws dropped in awkward anticipation. "About to what...Kojiro?" Mizuhara narrowed her eyes at him in jest.

"Tch," he muttered as he sat down and looked away, flustered.

As the awkwardness continued to fill the room, Mizuhara thought that it was the best time to finally retire. A yawn escaped her lips, and she said, "I'd love to continue to sit here and watch Kojiro wilt away in embarrassment. But it's four in the morning and my bed is calling me."

Hinako stood up and stretched. "Me too, I'll see you guys in the morning."

As the two women headed for the door, Bella walked into the living room and placed a cup of white tea in front of Kojiro. "You guys are really leaving?" She said while pouting, as she watched them ready to walk out.

Hinako nodded her head in reply. By this time, sleep was already evident in her eyes and Mizuhara was gone.

Silence filled the room. Bella turned to her boss who was cleaning up a few glasses on the coffee table. "Excuse me, Chef." she politely called.

" _Ouí_?" " _Sì?_ " both chefs answered. They both looked up and at each other. Donato then smiled and chuckled. "How amusing." he commented.

"I mean, Chef Donato." Bella blushed. "I'm going to get changed. This dress already feels binding." she added, playfully smoothing her hands on the satin sides of her attire.

"Of course." Donato answered.

She walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his wrist. "Please leave everything on the sink, I'll clean it up and whatever else that's left on the table."

Bella turned to Kojiro and smiled at him before bowing her head to excuse herself.

* * *

"Chef Donato, what time do we -" Bella stopped at the doorway and looked around the room but was surprised to only see Kojiro still settled on the arm chair. The senior she was looking for was nowhere to be found. She tugged the hemline of her silk pajama top and hesitantly stepped out of the doorway. _It's just the two of us again. This can't be good_.

She decided to brush off her doubts and make the effort to appear nonchalant about the situation as she proceeded to clean up and fluff the couch pillows. "Where is Donato?" she asked him.

"Oh, he already retired in the other room." he answered and stood up.

"Oh," she mouthed. "Are you sleeping here tonight?" she asked, thinking it was the only sensible thing to ask, because she was getting confused as to why he decided to remain in their suite.

"Do you want me to?" his hot breath against her neck made her jerk.

She thought about running to her boss' door to knock the hell out of it and seek salvation. But she wouldn't do that - she felt that it was simply out of character for her to panic. Instead, she turned to him and smiled, "Don't be silly, chef. You have your own suite." she replied and stepped away.

"Then why would you ask me if I would sleep here?"

She headed towards the kitchen and started soaking the used utensils. He followed behind her. She shrugged her shoulders as she kept her back turned away from him. "It's a better way of asking, 'why are you still here'?"

He sighed and said, "I told you, we're not done."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. She stopped the running water and turned to him. "I'm sorry, what?" she clarified.

He walked over to her and caged her against the counter. Pressing his hips against hers, he replied, "I don't like being teased."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Isn't this something that you should take up with Donato?" she said, trying to hide the anxiety in her voice.

But he didn't listen, he placed a hand under her chin and held her wrist. "You told me we could do this again if I still wanted to have you." he reminded.

"Uhm...it was an act?" she raised a brow at him. Try as she might to act cool and polite, she was slowly losing it.

The feel of his skin against hers sent chills down her spine. His hot breath and their proximity made her heart race. She was controlling herself, but her body seemed to rebel and melt into his advances. Formalities were slowly being forgotten as the war between her mind and body had became more intense.

"Funny," he started, his voice thick and heavy. "Then why is your hand on my chest?"

She parted her lips to respond, but he quickly silenced her when his lips collided with hers.

* * *

 _A/N: Ciao and happy new year! I'm not Italian, but its fun to use a few Italian words seeing as our OC is half. Haha! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It took a while for me to write it, since I've been reworking the plot from my original plan. Please read and review! And WOW, 7 followers and 5 favorites with just 1 chapter? This is amazing! Grazie!_


	3. Same, yet, Different

A/N: First of all - thank you so much for the overwhelming support for this fic. I never thought people would actually read a fic with an OC in this fandom. Thank you so much.

Second - this chapter will be a little bit hot and heavy. Nothing too graphic because I rated this as T, and I have never written an M before. But, I've been doing my research and I'm pretty okay with taking on the challenge of writing one. Do you guys want me to make it M in the later chapters? I really don't know the demographic of my readers, so please let me know!

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Same, yet, Different**

The harsh rays of the sun peeked through the curtains and woke up Bella in a jolt. She sat up, heart thumping in her chest and beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. Squinting her eyes in annoyance, she looked over to the window and guessed that it was probably mid-morning.

The space beside her shifted and pulled the blanket. Her eyes widened, "Oh...fuck." she cursed in whisper. She peered over the face of the coral-haired chef filling in the space beside her on the king sized bed. She suddenly felt remorse. But at the same time, she knew that she couldn't continue fighting what her body, and eventually, her mind demanded.

And it felt so damn good.

His lips crushed hers; it was dominating, almost painful, but it conveyed hunger at the same time. He did not waste a second to pick her up and take her to her room. He was as smug as ever, easily assuming that that's where it was going to end up. As his tongue was down her throat, he placed her on the bed and feverishly unbuttoned her sleeping attire. Bella could feel the power of his covetous fingertips squeezing the side of her hips. She pulled away, breathless, but before she could even think about protesting his actions, Kojiro's hand had already snaked under her shorts.

"C-Chef, I -" she stammered, drowning in his gaze.

He looked at her, eyes filled with lust. "Should I stop now?" it was more of a demand than a question.

She took a second to purse her lips. _Oh, what the hell,_ she thought before reaching out to slip off his glasses and carefully place them on the side. She sighed, "...no."

The corner of his lips etched into a smirk, and he resumed his work.

A sound of pleasure escaped her lips and he immediately placed his free hand over her mouth to shush her, reminding her that the other chef was just sleeping in the next room. He found the places that made her head tip back in ecstasy. In no time, all articles of clothing were on the floor and Bella positioned herself for dominance. But she was no match for him. Keeping at par with his reputation in the kitchen, Shinomiya Kojiro was also a complete savage in the sheets. The chef won in the end, and Bella laid in bed, deliciously spent until sleep had overcome both of them.

"Fuck." she cursed again, a little louder this time. She felt disbelief. The time she spent with Shinomiya Kojiro was supposed to be just a one time thing. A trick of seduction on him, that's all, and nothing more. But how did it escalate into this? _How the fuck did we switch roles?_

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. " _Buongiorno!_ " the blond haired chef sang.

Her eyes widened. " _Buongiorno_ , chef!" she replied, pretending to sound like she was awakened by his voice. But in reality, she panicked as she grabbed her undergarments on the floor and swiftly put them on. Kojiro slowly woke up as Donato continued to speak.

"Sorry to wake you, Bella. I just thought you should know that I'm going down for breakfast. We're checking out at 2 PM."

"Okay, chef," she replied, simultaneously watching the man on the bed quietly pull himself together. "I'm just about to hop into the shower. I'll see you downstairs."

"Alright."

His footsteps faded, and soon, she heard the door lock. She opened her door and peeked into the common room. A sigh of relief escaped her lips once she confirmed that her boss was out of sight. The next thing she had to do was deal with the consequences of last night. So, she shut her bedroom door and turned her heels to walk back to bed.

"Hey...good morning." she greeted the man beside her as she chewed on her bottom lip.

"'Morning. What time is it?" the chef grumbled in reply. He pushed back his bed head and smoothed the sides.

"10 o'clock."

"Still early,"

There was an unmistakable glint in his eye. "We have time." he stated, pulling her in and hovering over her on the bed.

Her hazel eyes bore into his amber ones, as she looked up and got a good look of his face. Last night's festivities happened so fast that she felt like she never got a full grasp on the situation. She realized he looked ten times more charming without his glasses on. "Why don't you get contacts?" she blurted out.

"What?" he was a little perplexed at her comment.

"Nothing. I just think you look better without glasses."

He smirked and pulled down the strap of her brassier. Slowly, he started nipping at the sensitive spot of her collarbone. "Are you starting to fall in love with me?" his voice hummed on her skin.

She squirmed as she fought every vibration of pleasure in her body. "Che. As if." she protested, tugging his hair to make him look at her. "And what are you doing? It's the morning after, chef. As in, grab your clothes and go."

"How catty. Should I tame you again?" he replied, leaning in and playfully enveloping her earlobe with his lips. He gently bit down and exhaled a hot breath.

"Mmpf." she shut her eyes and moaned. He smiled in satisfaction. "S-stop it, chef." she groaned, placing her arms on his naked chest and pushing him away.

They wouldn't say it, but they couldn't deny it. Both had an incontestable hunger to fulfil their carnal needs.

"You don't think Donato heard us, did he?" she asked, touching her chapped bottom lip. It became dry and bruised from biting down her moans.

"Donato sleeps like a rock when he drinks, didn't you know that?"

She shook her head. "No...I guess not."

"Might as well get ready." he said, pulling himself away and taking his glasses from the side table.

Bella grabbed his arm, stopping his motions from leaving the bed. She leaned in and kissed him, to which he stoically received this action. "One for the road." she told him.

Kojiro stood up and grabbed his clothes while she sat crossed legged on the bed, running her fingers through her messy tresses to rid the evidence of their late night activity. Her lips made a moue of disappointment as she watched him get dressed. She would surely miss seeing him without a shirt on.

He must have noticed her dismay. "You know, we can always do this again." he suggested, putting on his dress shirt.

She was surprised at his interest in her company. Bella raised her brows and tilted her head, "Are you starting to fall in love with me?" she jested in return.

"Tch. I have no time for relationships."

"My thoughts exactly."

* * *

Breakfast went on as if nothing happened. Bella arrived earlier than Shinomiya did and as expected, only the sous chef made the effort to greet him. Donato came in with two plates and pushed one towards her as he took the seat right next to hers. " _Grazie_." she smiled widely at him, seeing two pieces of toast with Nutella. He knew exactly what her favorite was.

Hinako peered over her plate and her lips rounded with 'oohs' and 'aahs'. "How did you know what she wanted?" she tilted her head in wonder at the blond chef.

Donato chuckled, "She has the same thing every morning at the Auberge."

"My, my, I'm becoming so predictable." she commented, taking a sip of her espresso.

Conversations about New Year's resolutions came up. Each person took turns teasing each other about their ability to keep up with the personal promises. However, no one dared to comment on Shinomiya's continuous goal of achieving the much coveted three stars. Afterwards, groans of going back to work were thrown around. Everyone was still pretty much hungover from the much needed break they had from the New Year's Eve party.

"By the way, look what I got from Dojima Gin earlier!" Hinako was full of excitement as she whipped out a yearbook from under the table.

"Oh, a yearbook?" Donato reacted as he moved over to his friend.

She eagerly flipped the pages and started searching for familiar faces. "See, Mizuhara has not changed at all! Except for the hair. Hey, Mizuhara you should grow your hair long again!" she mused, pointing to her senpai's photo.

"I save more on shampoos and conditioners this way." the teal-haired chef commented.

"You're so stingy!"

In the next page was a young, coral-haired boy with a smug expression on his face. "Time has been so unkind to Shinomiya-senpai," Hinako commented, as the three chefs now crowded over the yearbook. "I mean, just look at him here. He looks a little less of the arrogant bastard he is now."

"Be quiet, Hinako." Kojiro warned, taking a bite of his food.

"Let's look for Bella!"

"Oh, yes!" Donato agreed.

"Let's see…" she hummed as she turned each page and searched. She smacked her lips in thought as she started to become frustrated. They were already nearing the end of the book and still, no sign of the brunette. Looking for her was like playing 'Where's Waldo'. "Where are you, Bella?"

"You won't recognize me." she said, standing up and reaching for the yearbook. She flipped a few pages back and found their junior class photo. "That's me." she pointed to the image of a chubby Italian girl in the middle of the class.

"Eh?!" "Nani?!" "Cazzo!" Mizuhara, Hinako and Donato said in shock.

She sat down and rested her chin on her palm. "I told you last night, I looked different back then."

"How is this you?!" Hinako couldn't believe it, as she stared at the round face of the Italian girl. Seeing who she is now, and who she was before, there was only such a faint distinction of her character, and it was her eyes. Looking at her old photo reminded her of Takumi Aldini's twin brother.

"Shinomiya-senpai, look at this!" she pushed the yearbook towards him.

He didn't have the slightest interest at first, but a second later, his eyes suddenly widened and his neck craned a little. His brows furrowed as he stared at the photo, and he commented, "You're the first year with the french macarons."

"Hah?" Bella was a little taken aback by what he said."...you remember that?"

"Huh," he huffed as he caught her stare. "You gave me food poisoning before the final exam." he added coldly.

Donato blinked. "That was you?"

"What!" Hinako spewed her coffee all over Mizuhara in shock.

Bella sweat dropped at the memory. She averted their gaze and hid behind her tiny cup of espresso. "Err, yeah, that's right...that was me."

Unbeknownst to all of them, last night wasn't the first time she had come face to face with Shinomiya Kojiro. Nearly ten years ago, in her freshman year, Bella, a newly transferred student at Totsuki Culinary School was smitten by the coral-haired chef. One might say that she had a huge crush on him, and one day, she decided to confess to the first seat by giving him a box of French macarons. Sadly, French cuisine and pastries were not her forte. Who knew that making pastries would be such a pain in the ass?

" _Mi Scusi_ , Isabella!" Donato apologized in such a thick, Italian accent as he jumped to his sous chef and hugged her tightly. "I shouldn't have put you through last night if I had known about your unfortunate history."

"I-It's a-alright, Chef." she stammered, gasping for air in between his arms. "It was still my choice to agree with you or not." she tried to console him.

"I'm still in shock about this." Hinako reacted, looking back and forth at Kojiro and Bella. "Didn't you recognize her last night, Shinomiya-senpai?"

"We all agreed she looks completely different, idiot." he retorted. And truthfully, it never crossed his mind. How could he think about such a thing when he was tantalized by her last night.

"Why did you agree though?" Mizuhara couldn't help but ask.

All eyes were on the sous chef, eagerly anticipating for a reply. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled, "I don't know, it looked like it would be fun."

And indeed it was.

"So…" Mizuhara trailed off. "You like Shinomiya?"

The question made Bella choke on her toast. "W-w-what?" She replied in between coughs. Donato earnestly tapped her back to assist her in the process.

Mizuhara simply narrowed her eyes at her and moved her brows suggestively, waiting for a reply.

Bella cleared her throat. "Probably ten years ago. But that's ancient history." she answered as a matter of factly.

"How did you lose the weight?" Hinako jumped in, as she smacked her lips in thought.

"Looking for tips, Hinako?" Kojiro joked.

She puffed her cheeks and glared at him. Hinako was a little bit sensitive about her weight at times, just because she knew that she had to lay off the snacks, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. "You're terrible!" she huffed. Then, she turned to Bella, saying, "It's a good thing you've moved on from this mule."

 _Not completely,_ Bella thought, remembering how fast she reciprocated him last night. Her teenage self would probably be jumping for joy. But it's different now, she was supposed to be a more 'responsible' adult. She should have made better choices instead of sneaking around and having sex right next to her boss' bedroom.

She placed a hand behind her neck and decided to get back on topic, "I guess it just came naturally when I moved back to Italy after graduation. The eating culture is totally different there. I don't want to bore you with a lengthy explanation, so, let's just say that my eating habits were a lot healthier there compared to being a highly stressed Totsuki student."

Hinako's lips rounded in fascination. Mizuhara, being an expert in Italian cuisine was also quick to add, "Italians eat more for leisure and maintain an active lifestyle."

* * *

Just before they left, the four friends gathered once more to say their goodbyes. All but Shinomiya was going to check out of the hotel. They found out that he would be leaving for France the next day to attend to a few of his investors. He would be gone for two weeks, and they were determined to maximize the time that they had left of being reunited.

"We should all go out tonight," Hinako suggested. "Maybe have dinner somewhere."

Donato nodded in agreement. Mizuhara sighed and said, "Can we please go somewhere that none of us actually own? Sekimori-senpai's restaurant counts as well."

"Bella, you'll come with us, right?" Hinako looked over to the brunette.

She bit her bottom lip in regret. "I'm sorry...but I actually have plans with a few old friends from Totsuki. We'll be having a post-New Year celebration at a bar."

"A bar?" Donato clarified.

" _Sì_ , Chef. I asked you about it, remember?"

"The one in Roppongi?"

"That's the one," she answered. "But...you guys can come with us, if you're up for it. I'm sure my friends won't mind since one of them owns the place." she invited, thinking that it was only polite of her to do so.

Hinako's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Yes to that. We haven't been in a bar in so long!"

"Great," Bella replied, as she grabbed her phone. "I'll let them know that you guys are joining us."

Mizuhara yawned and stretched her arms. "I'm still sleepy."

"Me too," Donato replied. "Something woke me up in the middle of my sleep."

"What was it, Donato?" Hinako asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I heard a loud bang, but I couldn't really tell if it was the suite next to ours or the one upstairs."

Bella's throat had suddenly gone dry. Her heartbeat quickened and she could feel her palms start to sweat. "A loud bang?" she cleared her throat.

"Yeah, like something hit the wall or a suitcase fell on the floor. Didn't you hear it?" He turned to her.

"No, Chef," she shook her head and resisted the urge to take a quick glance at Shinomiya. She badly wanted to know how he was reacting to all this, but her doing so would make it look even more obvious.

"Oh, that's right, you tend to be a heavy sleeper!" He chuckled.

Mizuhara crossed her arms over her chest and she threw a suspicious look back and forth Donato and Bella. "Are you sure _you guys_ aren't doing it?"

"Why on earth would you think that?" Donato replied in disbelief.

"Well, you sure know a lot about each other."

"I can assure you, we're not." Bella retorted.

"I mean, I can't say I haven't thought about it…" he shrugged his shoulders.

"Chef!" the brunette scolded, her cheeks and ears turning red in embarrassment. "That's inappropriate…" she muttered.

"You're making this really awkward for her." Hinako added moving over to Bella and giving her a reassuring pat on the back.

"...I'm actually used to it."

"But really, we're not." Donato confirmed. "And we probably never will. Unless,"

She clasped her hands together and immediately cut him off. "Okay then, I'll see you guys tonight, okay?!"

* * *

As they parted ways, Bella insisted that she stayed in the hotel garden for a while just to clear her head. She paced around and started to condition herself to forget about last night...but she couldn't. As much as she tried to convince herself that this was just like any other one night stand, a part of her knew it wasn't. It was like her high school fantasy being brought to life.

She just had sex with the boy she loved in high school.

"Ugh," she smacked her head. "No, it's just a one time thing. Don't go there, Bella."

After a while of meditation, she finally decided to go back and continue packing up her things for their departure. But on her way to the elevator, she ran into Shinomiya once again, who had just finished talking to the receptionist at the main lobby.

Their eyes met, and she nodded her head to acknowledge him. "Oh, it's you." she sighed.

His brows furrowed at her reaction. "You sound really disappointed."

"No, sorry. I was just thinking about Donato and last night…" she thought out loud, as she placed a finger on her lip. But then she stopped and moved to accusingly point it to him. "You told me he sleeps like a rock!" she growled.

He clicked his tongue in ire. "Well, you were pretty eager to ride the pony."

She puffed her cheeks. "W-what th-I did no such thing!"

He averted her gaze and started to ignore her as she continued to protest and defend herself. Shinomiya pushed up his glasses and sighed, "Not that I didn't like it."

It was enough to silence her and make her cheeks warm. She looked to the floor and fingered the hemline of her shirt. "...you were pretty good too." she replied.

"Pretty good?!" he was miffed.

"What?" she tilted her head in reply.

"Pretty good?!" he repeated. "You marked my back like a cat's fucking scratching post."

"It's a compliment!" she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Shinomiya scratched the back of his neck in exasperation. Calling him 'pretty good' was an insult. He was never just 'pretty good' - that description doesn't even exist in his vocabulary. The very thing he liked about her, her nonchalance, now peeved him the most.

He took a few steps forward and began to lecture her. "'Pretty good' is what you call the dish of a Totsuki student. 'Pretty good' is what you say when you want to compliment your 5-year-old niece's drawing. 'Pretty good' is what you say when you're starving and eating at a 2-star restaurant."

His expression hardened as he towered over her. "I am not 'pretty good'."

The air between them had gone thick. Uneasiness crossed her face as she looked up to him. Although she was very firm when she voiced her opinions about their little deed last night, she knew deep within herself that she lied. It was all a big fat lie. As he started to close the distance between them, she felt her heartbeat quicken and her nerves started to feel like it was naturally gravitating towards him - wanting him, craving for his touch once more.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

She put a finger up to him and fished for her cell phone from the pocket. "Yes, Chef Donato?" she answered.

And once again, she was saved by the phone. Shinomiya uttered a disapproving sound and walked away. He felt like it was a waste of his precious time to just stand there and argue. When Bella ended the call, she exhaled a sigh of relief. "That was close…" she mumbled.

She placed a hand on her chest to calm down as she watched him walk away. Standing up straight, she took another breath and clenched her fists in determination. She had already conditioned her mind to move on. After all, it was just a one night stand.


	4. Stupid Drunk

Chapter 4: Stupid Drunk

 _10:00 PM_

Introverts are people who shy away from loud and crowded social situations. In fact, they find that being exposed to such a predicament could be physically and emotionally draining. They have a limited group of friends, and most times, they prefer being with their own company. But when they are left with no choice but to join such a party, they become the fly on the wall - quiet, observant, and with a heightened sense of self-awareness.

Mizuhara Fuyumi was that introvert. She felt a little restless, standing outside the bar that they had talked about going to earlier that day. Everything was fine up until somebody stepped out and she heard the music blaring through the speakers and the endless chatter of people from inside. It didn't look much from the outside, but it seemed to be a full house.

"I think I made a mistake coming here." she deadpanned.

Roppongi was one of the hottest bar districts in Tokyo. It was in the uptown area where a lot of foreigners would roam to find a great party. Each bar had their own specific style, but the one they were invited to had a very Western feel to it. Pink and blue neon lights illuminated the place, and a huge sign that said 'The Bar at Roppongi' hung over the main entrance. It couldn't get any more literal than that.

"How come?" Bella asked. She pushed her hands inside the pockets of her faux fur jacket. It was January, after all, and it was cold. They would've gone inside to warm up, but they had been standing outside for about ten minutes now, waiting for the coral-haired chef. He was late.

"It's just...so loud."

"What do you expect, its a bar!" Hinako beamed. Her eyes were glimmering with excitement.

"Now, now, don't worry, you'll be just fine." Donato, cool as ever, assured her.

Ten more minutes had passed. About thirty missed calls were made. Ten swore words were thrown into the speaker of an iPhone. Shinomiya Kojiro still hadn't showed up and he did not reply to a single text or call. Each of them made up theories for the reason of his absence. Bella, on the other hand, could not help but wonder if he decided to flake because of their argument earlier.

"So, have you all agreed to the advancement exam?" Mizuhara asked.

Hinako nodded her head and so did Donato. Sometime in the New Year's Eve gathering, Dojima Gin had given them each an invitation to facilitate the Batch 92nd's third year advancement exam in Kyushu. Of course, it would be a no-brainer for the three chefs to say yes to it. However, Bella was actually surprised to be invited as well. This would be her first time participating since she graduated.

"You think Shinomiya agreed to it too?"

"Most likely," Donato answered. "I mean, you know he's always been on edge with Chef Dojima Gin."

"He probably finds it such a pain. I overheard it from Chappelle-sensei earlier that he's been having it bad lately. He's under a lot of pressure in getting more sponsors for Shino's." Hinako mused.

 _Under a lot of pressure_ , Bella thought. She then had the idea that maybe there was a lot more to their secret rendezvous last night than just for revenge. Maybe he needed something to ease the stress. Maybe he was looking for comfort. But before she could dive in deeper into her thoughts, Hinako had already spoken.

"Come on, you guys, let's just go in. Shinomiya-senpai can find us inside."

True enough to Mizuhara's horror, 'The Bar at Roppongi' was the worst place for an introvert. The second they stepped in, the music became louder and the crowd became thicker as they headed further into the room. Bella led the way, squeezing in between people - half drunk, half not drunk, but seemed like they were drunk as she headed straight for the coat room. Once the coats were handed over, the next challenge was going to the bar. It was a mission and a half just to get there, but once they made it, they all breathed out a sigh of relief.

She looked around in search for a familiar face. Once she spotted him, she raised her arms and waved it as wildly as she can as she called out, "Taka! Taka! Taka - damnit, you idiot!"

The bartender squinted his eyes and looked left and right. "Bella?" he responded, crossing over the island to head towards her. "Geez, how long have you been here?" he asked, once he stood face to face with her.

"Feels like a lifetime," she dramatically replied, rolling her eyes in the process.

He let out a hearty chuckle. "Well, it feels like a lifetime since I last saw you."

"Oh, by the way, you know my boss, Chef Donato Gotoda." she made the formal introductions. "And of course, Chef Hinako Inui and Chef Mizuhara Fuyumi."

"Of course," Taka beamed, taking out a dozen shot glasses. "Who doesn't know the famous Totsuki Alumni? Now, how about a welcome shot?"

* * *

 _11:00 PM_

Taka was infamous for getting people drunk - all kinds of drunk. He cared very little about food, but when it came to beverages, he was the ultimate king. That's one of the reasons he opened 'The Bar at the Roppongi' in the first place. He can whip up the craziest types of alcoholic beverage: from flaming flots, shots that taste like licorice but get you stupid drunk, to drinks that made you feel like you're coming in face to face with the grim reaper. He had won bartending competitions, and that's why the bar was full almost every single night.

"All these fine bottles of liquor and you don't have a glass in hand?" a blonde bombshell appeared in a velvet black dress.

Bella was taking a break. She was already in between the fine line of being well and tipsy, and she tried to be on her best behavior in front of her senior chefs. However, she couldn't help but squeal and jump in excitement when she saw her best friend, Ruth. She was an American pastry chef who currently lived in Tokyo. She was introduced to the group, and immediately, Donato was floored by her charm.

"Oh, hi everyone!" Ruth waved like an enthusiastic five year old. Turning to her friend, she pouted and pointed to the bottle of liquor in her hand. "Uh, hello, Bella, where's your glass? And how come they aren't drinking either?" she gestured her head to the three chefs.

"I was just about to pour them a glass!"

"No need." Taka followed from behind Ruth, taking out another round of shot glasses. He quickly whisked away the bottle that Ruth was holding and began pouring.

In the past hour that they've been there, it would have already been their fourth or fifth shot. Bella couldn't really keep up anymore since she paid more attention to watching Hinako, who seemed to be quite excited at trying all the sweet liquor offered at the bar. Mizuhara just sat quietly, nursing a glass of gin and tonic. Donato was all over the place, flirting with one girl to another.

Hinako gleefully took a shot glass and even instigated the cheer, "Kampai!" she yelled.

 _Kampai!_

Her face contorted when she laid down the glass. It tasted different. It was vile. To her, the drink had a strength that she could equate to five sumo wrestlers. It made her dizzy, accompanied by the fact that it was already her nth consumption of liquor. She put out her tongue in disgust. "Ugh, this tastes like death. What is it?"

Bella laughed and replied, "Tequila."

* * *

 _11:30 PM_

In the next thirty minutes, Bella was already at the border line between drunk and stupid drunk. Her friends would always joke and call her the 'high-functioning' drunk. She wasn't good enough to drive, she couldn't walk a straight line either but she wasn't bad enough to vomit and she was sober enough to pretend to be okay without stuttering. But then, her sense of judgement was slowly failing her. By this time, she could not keep track of her senpais anymore.

She took another shot with her friends at the bar. As she set the glass down, one of her friends chuckled and nudged her elbow. "Oi, Bella, there's a hot guy checking you out." Her girl friend whispered.

She giggled and flipped her hair back. "Really now? Where?"

Her friend ducked, "He's coming over this way. The guy in the white button down. He has a silver earring."

 _Silver earring?_

She turned and blinked a few times. "Oh, god." She muttered. When he stood before her, she managed to pull herself together and smile. "You made it. We were worried about you." she said through gritted teeth.

He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair and took off his glasses to clean them with the hemline of his shirt. He seemed a little agitated.

Bella's mouth had become incredibly arid as she watched him intently. Like what her friends would say, she was 'high-functioning' but low judgement drunk, so she wasn't sure if her sudden thirst should be taken in the literal or figurative context. She took a swig of her champagne anyway. She made a gesture to the bartender to order another glass, and in no time, she handed it to the chef.

"Thanks. I got held up by some phone calls." He explained, taking a sip. "I've been calling Hinako for thirty minutes. Where are they?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I honestly have no idea."

"Bella, take a shot with us!" the girl from earlier invited. "Give your boyfriend one too!" she teased.

If looks could kill, her friend would have been bloody and dead by now. Her cheeks were already scarlet from the liquor, but she felt them burning with all the teasing. She glanced at him from the side and asked, "Would you?"

But before he could respond, a drunk Hinako suddenly jumped in grabbed him. "Shinomiya-senpai!" she exclaimed, shaking him back and forth. "Where the hell have you been? We've been looking all over for you. Did you know you that you made us wait for you in the cold for -"

Shinomiya placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away from him. "You reek of liquor." he said.

" _Baka_ ," she growled. "It's a bar!" she added, beaming. Hinako seemed to be the moody kind of drunk.

As the two continued to argue, Bella walked away and joined her friends in taking shots. She looked around the room one more time to look for the rest of their group, but alas, Mizuhara and Donato could not be found. She was sure she'd figure out where they were later.

* * *

 _12:30 AM_

"Take her home, will you?" Shinomiya exasperatingly said, as he unloaded the dead weight of Hinako onto the couch. "Where were you this whole time anyway?"

"Hiding." Mizuhara deadpanned.

Amid the drunken chaos, Shinomiya eventually found a spot all the way at the VIP section. It wasn't totally quiet, but it was good enough to escape the drunks and the loud music. Coincidentally, that was where Mizuhara had been hiding for the past couple of hours. She took with her a bottle of gin, enough to last her until she had to go home. He sat down across them and took a breath. He was exhausted.

Hinako groaned. Which made both of them look at her. They caught each other's stare and Mizuhara finally asked, "What held you up?"

"Calls." he simply replied.

"How's the sponsorship going?"

He rubbed his temples as he closed his eyes. "Not good," he answered. "There's just way too many issues right now in Paris after the Tokyo branch opened."

"How come?"

He reached for the half-filled bottle of gin and poured himself a glass. "Stupid investor decided to pull out and reinvest in a trendy new restaurant. He was against the Tokyo branch from the start. He probably has trust issues."

"But he's only one guy, right?"

"He convinced the other two to pull out as well." he grumbled as he skilfully threw back the drink.

They sat there quietly resting for a while until Hinako groaned once again and muttered, _water._ Mizuhara ignored her request and shifted her gaze to Shinomiya, saying, "You should ask Donato about how he got the sponsorship for the Tokyo Auberge."

"Hm?"

"Now that I think about it...it's expensive to run an Auberge. And opening one in Tokyo is a huge gamble. He must've gotten a really generous sponsor."

Shinomiya's phone started vibrating in his pocket and he was in dismay when he checked the screen. It was yet another call from Lucie, probably calling to report more issues about Shino's in Paris.

He stood up with the phone in hand, ready to head out. "Be sure to douse her with water before you call a taxi."

* * *

 _1:15 AM_

Coming from the loud bar, it felt like it was deafeningly quiet when he stepped outside. His phone continued to ring. Shinomiya rested his back against the brick wall and took a breath before answering, " _Lucie,_ "

He didn't realize how long he'd been on the phone, so engrossed into business for him to be surprised to see Bella standing on the sidewalk, quietly peering over the street to look for a taxi. He knew this because she suddenly put her hand up and yelled, "Taxi!" even though there were none that passed by. _When did she step out?_ He thought as he quickly glanced at the door beside him. He simultaneously watched her struggle and wobble back and forth as Lucie continued to speak through the phone.

Bella pouted and tried to fish for her phone inside her purse. As she continued to poke around, she became more and more frustrated that one by one, she began to toss out the contents of her bag to find it.

" _Chef, did you get all that information?"_

"Yes," he answered, still keeping his eyes on the brunette. "Listen, Lucie, I'm good with all that. I have to go, but I'll call you before my plane takes off."

She was quiet as she fumbled through her bag. It seemed like she had her own little world, and she was completely oblivious to the things she'd been throwing around, as well as his presence a few feet away from her. She stumbled back on her high heels, a little bit dizzy from looking down as she searched.

"Oi," he finally called.

It took awhile for her to react, but she looked up to him with heavy lidded eyes. They locked eyes for a few seconds before she continued to look around her bag.

He shook his head disapprovingly and walked towards her. "Are you alright?" He asked, placing his hands in his pockets.

"I-I'm looking for my...my phone," she stammered as her brows furrowed. "Have you seen it?"

"Tch," he muttered and fished it from her purse. It was the only thing left inside.

"Oh," she mouthed. "Well, thank you!" She added, carelessly grabbing it from him. She stared at it blankly for a while until she said, "What am I doing again?"

Bella was stupid drunk.

"Fine," Shinomiya grumbled in defeat and took out his phone. He searched for the number of a cab company. Bella leaned in and stared at the screen with him. She was close enough for him to get a whiff of her perfume mixed in with the smell of liquor. It was like strawberries with rum - sweet, yet powerful.

They both looked up and found themselves face to face, merely inches away from each other. He stared at her sleepy hazel eyes as he felt her slowly push down his hands, stopping him from focusing on the task at hand. "I'm calling you a taxi." He firmly stated.

"Great," she said with a small smile. "Your place or mine?"

But before he could answer, she pressed her lips against his. She stumbled forward, accidentally deepening the kiss. Shinomiya was a little taken aback, but eventually, he instinctively held her at the small of her back for balance. Her slender frame felt at home against his chest. Her lips were soft. Her breathing was slow and steady as a heartbeat. He slowly tightened his arms around her and found himself melting into her warmth. Strangely enough, he felt a different kind of pleasure from this compared to sleeping with her the night before.

She licked his lips slightly and he acknowledged her request. Her hands held onto his arms as she gently coaxed her tongue in his mouth. She tasted like bourbon, and he wanted to take a sip.

He could have sworn he heard the music from inside the bar get louder. But in that moment, his head was clouded. And true enough, the music did get louder, because the door opened and Mizuhara saw everything.

* * *

 **A/N: Guys! I really need a vote. Would you mind if I change the rating to M? Or should I keep it at T? Please vote by leaving a review. Thank you. :)**


	5. Restraint

Chapter 5: Restraint

The teal-haired chef stood at the doorway dumbfounded. Her eyes widened, lips parted, gaping at the sight before her. A public display of affection was the last thing she knew he would be caught dead doing. But there they were, arms entangled and lips on lock with the other's as they stood on the sidewalk. _How long had this been going on?_

To say that her lips were as sweet as candy would be an overtly romanticised description. Shinomiya could distinguish the strong taste of liquor, but the sweet smell of strawberries wafted through his nostrils as if somebody had been making such a delectable treat right in front of him. He guessed it was her perfume. But amidst the clash of the stimulus with his senses, there was something about it that seemed to tie it all together and it made him thirsty for more.

He kept one hand on the small of her back and the other snaked to caress her cheek. Bella let out hushed moans of gratification as Kojiro's lips lightly sucked on hers. Their tongues continued to dance as it quickly developed from soft and tender to feverish and hungry. Her hands moved to his chest and her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. "Chef, please..." her voice was huskily tempting him as she tugged the hemlines. He was fueled by instinct as one hand smoothed over her ass, making its way under her skirt. It seemed as if he was losing his mind.

"Shinomiya," Mizuhara's stern voice echoed in the dead of the night.

Startled, he pulled away and whipped his head towards the door. Mizuhara's face was as stoic as it can be as she looked at him. Still feeling a little dazed (and aroused), he opened his mouth to speak but found himself tongue-tied. His cheeks were flushed with crimson as they stared at each other. "Is she alright?" she asked, shifting her gaze to the woman wrapped around him.

His eyes averted to the woman in question and found her nestled against his chest. Sometime between the short exchange he had with his friend, Bella had already surrendered to the intoxication. She was breathing out sounds of sleep almost in a murmur. Realizing that his hand was still groping her ass, he immediately pulled it away and moved to hold her up against him instead.

"She's...drunk." he managed to finally reply.

"Yes, I'm glad you see that too."

She didn't need to say anything more than that. The tone of Mizuhara's voice was like a smoke alarm for his brain and she came right on time to extinguish the flames. "Why are you here?" he asked, slowly shifting back to his old self.

"I wanted to see if the cab was already there. Just making sure."

Then Kojiro remembered what he was about to do. He looked around and found his phone on the ground. He must've dropped it at one point. Before he could say anything, Mizuhara had already walked towards him to pick it up and hand it over. "You're about to take her home...right?" she asked with caution.

He wasn't really planning to. Ideally, he would just call a cab and throw her inside to save him the extra work. But Mizuhara's gaze towards him didn't leave him any choice. Given how incredibly helpless the sous chef was as well, he just had to take her home. With his arms still around her waist, he lifted one arm and called for a car ride home.

"Oi," he shook her in an attempt to rouse her from sleep. "I'm going to take you home. What's your address?"

She mumbled something incoherent, and he gritted his teeth in aggravation. "Your address in Japan, not in Italy, you idiot."

She then absentmindedly whispered it slowly, and then over and over again as if she was training him to memorize it. Her face was nestled on his chest when she stopped speaking.

Once the taxi confirmed that it was on his way, Mizuhara had already turned her heels and headed back. Albeit, she stopped midway and called his attention again, "Shinomiya," He raised an eyebrow as she locked her eyes with his. "Keep it in your pants." she warned firmly.

In an attempt to save himself from embarrassment, he protested, "She's the one who wanted it."

"But she's not the only one, hm?" she retorted and gave him a knowing look before disappearing into the bar.

Kojiro ran a free hand through his hair and let out a deep breath. With his decelerating heartbeat, he looked down and fixed his eyes on Bella; her hand weakly clutching his shirt, head still nestled on his chest, hair was disheveled and eyes tightly shut as if she was already in the REM state of her unconsciousness. "What are you doing to me?" he mumbled.

Shinomiya had become more robotic than ever. People would say that he was pig-headed, narcissistic, and critical but he never really paid attention to any of it. He willed himself to become as emotionless as possible, going through the motions of life as he was too riled up with coveting three stars for his restaurants. It didn't help that he had a load of problems while he was in the pursuit of excellence, so a distraction was the last thing on his mind. But...she was too delicious to pass up.

"Mm," she moaned. The vibrations from her mouth were tickling his chest. "Shinomiya..."

And they stayed just like that.

* * *

Despite his resistance, he helped her down the taxi, to the elevator, and her door. But she fumbled once again with the keys, and he ended up opening the door for her. He felt lucky enough that she was barely half as annoying as Hinako. But at the same time, the situation exasperated him. This was the kind of responsibility he wanted to avoid.

When they got to her room, he laid her down the bed. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he looked at her. Sitting down on the mattress, his hand moved and attempted to brush a few strands of hair away from her face. But he hesitated and pulled back at the last minute. _Too much_ , he thought.

She slowly opened her eyes and squinted them. Her misty hazel eyes on him, trying to fight sleep and intoxication. "Where are we?" she asked.

"Your room. I took you home. You're drunk." He explained as she looked at him and tried hard to make sense of what he was saying.

She groaned and attempted to sit up, grabbing his shirt for support, but her dead weight took him by surprise and he was pulled on top of her. Shinomiya willed himself to not kiss her again. Being merely an inch away from her face, he could still smell the bourbon from her lips whenever she breathed out a hot and heavy breath. It got even harder when she closed her eyes and puckered her lips to him, moaning to him, "Chef…"

The more he stared at her, the more his lips went dry. He felt himself break a sweat. It was so easy to lean in and ravish her. But common sense would tell him that she wasn't even sober to begin with, so there was no point. He pulled himself up, and unlatched the hand that was clawing his shirt. "Stop teasing me, damn it." he snapped, putting her hand down to the side.

Bella let out a mewl of indignation. The last thing she remembered was seeing him walk away. And the last thing she heard was him saying, " _I'll lock the front door."_ before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A week had gone by, and Bella never thought she'd be so fumed. She drummed her fingers on the kitchen counter as her other arm rested on it. She leaned in, chin positioned on her palm. Her brows knit together as she glared at her boss. As the seconds turned to a minute, she grew more peeved by him as he leaned back against the counter across her. She had always been so good at handling her emotions around him, but for the first time in a long time, she found it so hard to do just that.

" _Dai!_ Bella, it's not as bad as you think." he asserted.

"You're dating Ruth." she spat.

The Italian chef continued to argue in his native tongue. Bella retorted him just the same. The two chefs were in the kitchen, disrupting the other kitchen staff members from their work as they fought. Oddly, it wasn't about food. It was about their dating life.

Bella had the highest respect for her boss, Donato. Really, she did. But there was something that she never trusted about him...and that was his inability to contain himself around women. He loved being in love, but he was a notorious flirt. She saw him flirting with different women at Taka's bar in Roponggi last week and she paid no attention. However, it's different when the woman in question was her best friend, whose emotions were as fragile as a snowflake.

" _Andiamo_ , Isabella. We have to take this somewhere else." he said firmly. He noticed how the air around them had gone incredibly thick. To top it all off, arguing in Italian took it to a whole new level as each intonation brought uneasiness to the staff.

She nodded her head and stood up to head to the office with him.

"Chef, please. Why Ruth?" she wasted no time to ask when she shut the door behind them.

"She's adorable." he replied with a wide smile.

"And so is every other woman you see on the street, but why her? Why my best friend out of all the women in that bar?" she countered.

They continued to argue. He reasoned out, she tried to put him down. But Donato wasn't that insensitive to his sous chef's feelings. He knew she would feel this way. She was always objective about things, which is the perfect balance for his overtly emotional self. But she also had a subjective side which was always flowing with compassion and sensitivity to the people who mattered the most. He appreciated that about her, and that's why he trusted her so much.

Finally, all he could do was sigh. He could tell that no matter how much he explained, it wouldn't make a difference. She just needed time to process it. The good thing about that was she didn't really dwell on things, so she would move on and accept it in no time.

She, on the other hand, averted his gaze and rested her arm on the other. "Please be serious about her." she said, her voice was low but firm.

"I am." he replied. "I wouldn't want to put you in a difficult situation." he added, making his way towards her to gently pat her arm.

"You better not." she shot him a look.

He just smiled at her as he moved to his table. "By the way, Bella…" he started, eyes focused on the stack of papers before him. "Maybe you should think about yourself for a change."

She tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I saw the way you looked at him when we were at the bar. I could tell he felt the same way about you too."

Her heart skipped a beat. All she could think about was the coral-haired chef when he said that. Does he know what's going on? How did he know? A myriad of questions ran through her head.

"How did you…?"

He chuckled. "Well, I noticed Taka was so attentive to you at the bar. And you know, when a man is perceptive to your needs…"

"Oh," she mouthed in relief. She shook her head and smiled. "Taka's just a friend."

Bella relaxed at the thought that her boss didn't have the slightest clue about what happened between her and Shinomiya. She hadn't heard from him since he left, except for the tiny note he left her on her magnetic board the night he took her home. But she wasn't expecting anything anyway. Maybe she didn't need to tell him anything since she was slowly trying to move on.

"I'm just saying, Bella. Perhaps you could give dating a try again." he suggested. "You could even try dating my friends too. I don't mind."

She burst out laughing. "You're joking, right? You only have two guy friends - Sekimori and Shinomiya." she pointed out. "Wow, it's such a hard choice. Who to pick? Who to pick?" she added, acting dramatically.

He laughed along with her. "Hey now, Sekimori-senpai is actually a really good guy. He can take care of you. Shinomiya, on the other hand...yeah, better not."

Bella chuckled awkwardly in return. He would for sure not be pleased to know what went down between them. For as much as he loved to joke around with her, he was equally as protective of his sous chef as well. "Oh, Chef. Don't worry about me. I'm fine on my own."

He clasped his hands together. " _Ma_ , Bella, you shouldn't close your heart to the idea. It's been a year since we talked about your last heartache."

Her shoulders loosened at his words. She looked down and twirled a few strands of her long hair which was tied up in a ponytail. "Chef…" she said almost in whisper.

She remembered the day that she stood near the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. The sun was setting and she had a far-off gaze into the horizon. He approached her, and she thought he was just another creep trying to pick her up on the street. But much to her surprise, he talked about the sunset, something about love, and how everything ends and begins beautifully. She couldn't remember his exact words because the only thing she could recall was how she cried uncontrollably when he finished speaking.

"Grazie," she said, thinking about everything they've been through.

Cooking with him was the best distraction. She couldn't thank him enough for pirating her from the awful Trattoria she used to work for and training her into the fine chef that she was today.

"How about I call Hinako and Mizuhara, and we can all visit Sekimori-senpai, hm?"

She puffed her cheeks and protested, "Chef!"

"Maybe have a drink with Taka?" he continued to tease.

One of the staff members knocked on the door and called Donato. It was something about an issue with the recipe, and it needed his immediate attention. Bella decided to continue the paperwork stacked on his table while he was away. She needed a break from the kitchen anyway, and probably an hour or so to get over their heavy conversation.

Minutes later, as she was engrossed in studying a few contracts, Donato's phone started ringing. She looked up and over to his table, thinking she could just ignore it. But after about three more calls, she got up and decided to answer it for him. Her body froze when she saw the name on the screen. Immediately, she opened the office door and called out to the chef, who requested that she take a message for him since he had his hands full.

She pushed the answer key with hesitation. "Hi, Chef Donato is out right now, can I take a message?" she answered in one breath.

There was a clear delay in his response. " _Oh...Bella?_ " Shinomiya asked.

She licked her lips and pursed them for a second. "Yes, Chef. I hope you're doing well."

" _Could be better._ " he simply replied.

"Can I take a message? Chef Donato has his hands full in the kitchen."

" _Just tell him to call me back as soon as possible. I have to ask him about sponsorships._ " he instructed.

She grabbed a pen and paper and made sure to write it down so her boss would see the message later. "Yes, Chef." she answered.

" _Merci_ ,"

She sensed the urgency of the call. "Ah, Chef Shinomiya - " she found herself blurting out.

" _Oui?_ "

"Thank you for taking me home that night." she said quickly, but with deep appreciation. Truthfully, she didn't expect that out of all the friends she had in that bar, he would be the one to take care of her and bring her home. "And...I'm sorry for the trouble. All of it." she added, emphasizing on the last bit of her apology.

"You're welcome." he said and hung up without hesitation.

She set the phone down and sighed. "Well, that was a lot quicker than I thought."

Moving on should be easy.

* * *

Shinomiya sat back in his seat. He looked at the mound of contracts in front of him. He had been consumed by work ever since he got back to Paris, that he'd already forgotten what happened back in Tokyo. It was convenient that he had a ton on his plate to begin with, so there was no time to think back to what happened - that is, until he heard her voice.

He closed his eyes and inhaled a sharp breath. It seemed like he could still feel the rise and fall of her chest against his when he exhaled. He hated it. And in the small mundane moments of his day, he would still get the craving for that same comfort. But he knew that he couldn't afford any distractions. This feeling of longing had to end.

Grabbing his pen, he decided to resume his work.

Lucie knocked on his door. "Chef Shinomiya, I have a question about the dessert recette." she said, opening the door.

"What is it, Lucie?"

"Well, what do you think about using strawberries instead of peaches, and adding a little bit of rum?"

He stiffened in his seat. The sleeping face of the Italian sous chef appeared vividly in his mind. "No," he strongly objected. "Follow the recette."

Lucie frowned and squirmed back. "Oui, Chef." she reluctantly replied before walking away.

In the kitchen, Gao Wei and a few of the service staff had been anticipating Lucie's return. Albeit, they were surprised when she came in with her finger to her lip, deep in thought.

"So, what did Chef say?" Wei asked.

She shook her head.

The kitchen staff groaned. Peaches were hard to find in this season, and they thought for sure he would approve their new suggestion. They began discussing where they would find the ingredients.

"I thought for sure he would like the idea." Wei commented.

Lucie shrugged her shoulders. "He seems to really hate the idea of strawberries and rum."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hi everyone! Well, the first part of this chapter was hot. Don't we all wish for a Shinomiya-senpai in our life? I'm not all for slow burn stories, but I think this is paced just right for it to actually be a little realistic. Thank you so much for your support, guys! I read your reviews, and I appreciate it.

Love,

Rocket


	6. An Unlikely Partnership

Chapter 6: An Unlikely Partnership

The sound of her high heels clicked against the marbled floors. It was like a clock or a ticking time bomb; _click, clack, click, clack._ But with the urgency of the situation, Bella paid no attention to how much her feet hurt or how her footsteps were drawing attention. She walked in an immediate pace, clutching an envelope with one arm and holding a tall coffee with the other hand. She stopped in front of her boss' mahogany office door and flipped her head back to push a few strands of hair away from her face. She could hardly contain her excitement, but still, she managed to keep herself together as always.

She knocked three times before entering. "Chef Donato," she stopped and her eyes widened in surprise.

It was a typical Friday afternoon at the Auberge. The dining area was quiet. The kitchen staff were busy trying out a special menu set. But the busiest ones were the head chef and sous chef. _The life of a chef is never easy,_ as they say, and business development just never has a day off. It was the usual time that Donato and Bella would either be swarmed with accounting work, contract reviews, menu discussions, and meetings with their investors. Bella had actually just arrived from that said meeting which was expected almost every week. But what was different about today was the sight of the coral-haired chef in front of her donned in an all black attire. _Who died?_

"Chef Shinomiya...you're back." she reacted and blinked a few times in disbelief. Bella knew she would eventually see him again, but didn't expect it to happen this soon. He looked at her impassively and pushed up his glasses.

Trailing behind her was the newly hired service manager, Kaoru. Who, if Bella had it her way, would not even be considered in the auberge if it weren't for the insistence of a very important supporter. "Chef Bella you forgot your - "

 _Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot._

The tall cup of caffe latte splattered and bled through Bella's white blouse. Her back arched forward, trying to avoid the liquid from burning her skin. Heaven knows she'd rather burn this nitwit of an employee instead.

Donato stood up. Shinomiya remained in his seat. Kaoru almost cried. Bella sighed deeply and handed Kaoru the cup. "I'm sorry, Chef!" The poor girl squeaked. "It's just that...you forgot your bag in the kitchen."

"Thanks, Kaoru. But next time...just wait for me to come back, okay?" She squinted her eyes and gave a tight lipped smile.

"Sì, Chef." She replied and scurried off with the empty coffee cup. She stopped midway and called out, "What do I do with this, Chef?"

Bella sweatdropped as she pulled herself together. "Throw it away, Kaoru."

Donato walked up to her with a sympathetic smile and freed her hands of the folders she was holding. "Let me get you your coat." He offered and looked over to Shinomiya before exiting the room.

In an event to save herself from being fully stained, she quickly undid the buttons of her top and slipped it off her shoulders. She looked up and realized how she inadvertently caught his attention. "Eh, excuse me - " she said, sprucing up her silk camisole.

"Well," he scowled and turned away. Truthfully, Shinomiya just wanted to keep his eyes on her. The way the silk clung on her milky skin and the lace droop down her cleavage made his throat incredibly dry. She didn't explicitly show off, but the sight of her in lace and silk made him want to bite his lip down. "This seems to be a habit of yours...unbuttoning things?" he mocked.

"Why? Did you want me to undo yours?" she mechanically retorted while hanging up her top. She quickly slapped her hand over her mouth. _Shit._ Feeling embarrassed, she studied the coffee stains at an unnecessary glacial pace. Since when did she become casual to such crude comments? She could hear him breathe out an amused remark.

"You and I know that you've done it way too many times."

Donato came in with her white chef's uniform. "Done what?" he inquired.

Bella smiled and thanked her boss. She took the coat and slipped it on her shoulders, saying, "French Macarons, Chef." What a big fat lie. She shot him a glare the second Donato turned his back to head over to his seat.

"Oh? But you've always hated making pastries. You always pass it on to me."

"Yes, but nowadays I've been practicing. I've been messaging Chef Shinomiya for tips." She tilted her head and smiled at him, hoping he would ride along. "Thank you for all your help, Chef."

"Well, if it helps one person from getting food poisoning, I'm all for it." He quipped and gave her a smirk.

"Then I'm glad you two are getting well acquainted with each other." Donato leaned in his desk and gestured for Bella to take a seat in front of Kojiro. "Shinomiya and I were just talking about Reo."

Bella craned her neck back in surprise. "What about Reo? I just got back from a meeting with him."

"Reo is coming over to Shino's tonight for a meeting. He might be a potential investor." Donato explained. "I was just telling Shinomiya that it would help if you came over Shino's tonight as well."

"Me?" she pointed to herself in confusion.

"That's not really necessary, Donato." Shinomiya reacted.

"What do you need me for?"

"You might convince Reo to invest. You know how he is. He's a little different, and Shinomiya has never met him before. The situation will be challenging to him."

Her brows furrowed together in thought. "But isn't this a conflict of interest, Chef? I mean, Reo is invested in Tesoro."

Donato shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't really matter. Shino's and Tesoro isn't competing with each other." he pointed out. He then smirked and raised his eyebrows suggestively. "And you know he's not going to pull-out of the auberge because of you."

Bella chewed on her bottom lip in thought. It's not like she was selfish, she did want to help out. And truthfully, she did know that her influence could potentially sway the investor's interest. But she had her doubts about being in the same room as the coral-haired chef. It always seemed to make her unreasonably awkward. Likewise, it was equally exhausting to keep pretending like it didn't affect her.

She turned to Shinomiya and caught his gaze. He was in hot water, and she knew that doing it would be a big help to him. She figured that agreeing to the request wouldn't be such a bad thing. Afterall, she did owe him a favor. "Well…" she started before Kojiro cut her off.

"No, that's fine." He stood up and grabbed his coat. "I'm sure that the food we serve him in Shino's will be enough to convince him." he added and nodded off to Donato. "I have to get going. I need to look over the preparations for tonight."

* * *

Later that night, Bella found herself clocking out of the auberge earlier than expected. She stood in front of uncharted waters donned in a silk red dress, high heels and a white coat over it. Her hands began to sweat, and she felt a little bit ill. _I'm being ridiculous,_ she thought to herself and shook her head. The moment she pushed the door open, a service staff welcomed her with the greeting, "Good evening, Madam, welcome to Shino's!"

"Hi, I'm Chef Yamamoto Bella. Is Chef Shinomiya here?"

After taking her coat, she was led into the kitchen. Bella expected it to be like a zoo, but was blown away when she opened the door and found everyone working in complete silence. Each staff member moved in perfect rhythm with each other, and Bella found it both odd and amusing because it was the complete opposite of how they were at the auberge. She continued peering through the small opening until Shinomiya turned around and noticed her by the door.

"What are you doing here?" his voice bellowed from the corner.

"Oh," she greeted, letting herself in. "I...just thought I could help." she added, feeling a little bit embarrassed and out of place in his immaculate space.

"Not in my kitchen." he spat.

"Well, of course," The thing about chefs is that they tend to be very territorial about their workspaces. Bella knew this well and didn't blame him for such a blunt reply. She'd do the same to him if he stood in her kitchen. She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not a nitwit."

He smirked and instructed a staff member to usher her to a table and serve wine.

A few sips and a few mental notes about the restaurant later, Shinomiya came out and headed over to her table. He seemed a little tense. "You really didn't have to come over." he spoke, sitting down and pouring himself a glass.

She smiled and looked down to swivel her wine. "I know, but I just wanted to."

"What made you change your mind?"

"I didn't say no," she pointed out.

"But you didn't say yes either." he retorted and took a sip.

Bella chuckled and found herself amused at his observations. But he was right, she didn't agree nor disagree. Donato was actually annoying her the whole day about it, but she ignored him whenever he brought it up. Exactly thirty minutes before she was scheduled to clock out that day, she found herself changing her mind.

"What made you change your mind?" he repeated.

She looked up and took a bold sip. "You."

He raised an eyebrow at her answer. "You're not in love with me, are you?"

"Hell no!" Bella exclaimed. "Look, I know when to return a favor...besides, the message you left in my apartment was loud and clear."

What really made her change her mind about this whole ordeal was the reminder in her apartment: a little note on her magnetic white board stuck to the fridge that said, _'You owe me'_ signed by none other than Shinomiya the night he took her home. They sat in silence for what felt like a minute. Feeling like she had enough alcohol in her system, she decided to lay her cards on the table and just end this game of bluff. "What happened between us, and what I did that night you took me home…" she began.

His lips rounded in realization. "Oh, so you weren't that shit-faced after all. You remember."

She shut her eyes briefly and breathed out a deep sigh. "Yes, Chef. I remember everything." she exasperatingly replied. "Since we have common friends and colleagues, I think it's best we leave the past behind us. Can we just keep things professional...forever?"

Shinomiya scoffed, "Keep your hands off me then."

She swore she could feel her eye twitch. This guy was quite full of himself. But it didn't matter. She should have expected him to say such a thing anyway. She huffed, "Of course," and placed an elbow on the table to devilishly lean in. The cowl neckline of her dress fell dangerously low to show him a liberal amount of cleavage. His eyes wandered for a second just before she snapped, "Keep your eyes off me too."

Kojiro clutched the stem of his wine glass with gusto. His eyes trailed off to her chest for a second time before he caught himself. He averted his gaze to hers and stared her down. Bella tilted her head and grinned. She knew she shouldn't have pushed that button, but she had to redeem herself.

"A car is here, Chef!" a server called out.

Shinomiya cleared his throat and stood up. A man in his late twenties walked in briskly to Shino's. He was in the middle of a call when he entered. Hideyuki Reo had ash brown hair and caramel eyes. Some would say that he was the ultimate dreamboat, standing at 182 centimeters with a fairly muscular build. He was the ultimate bachelor. But there was one catch - he was a notorious playboy.

His eyes widened in surprise as he noticed the brunette who just stood up. Immediately, he ended the call and pushed back his hair. "Bella," he exclaimed and smiled, stretching his arms out to hug her.

Bella chuckled and reached for him in return to exchange pleasantries. "What are you doing here?" he asked, seeming to be quite confused as to why she would be at a French restaurant.

"I know, right?" she giggled. "We just saw each other earlier, and here we are again!"

His lips etched into a smirk in return. "If I didn't know any better, you just couldn't get enough of me, _ne_?"

"Cute, but not quite." she scrunched up her face. She realized how Reo completely ignored the fact that he was here to talk business with Shinomiya. The second he saw her, it was like nothing else existed. It was expected because that was how he was with a lot of women. "I heard you're investing in Shino's." she gestured to the coral haired chef, who looked less than amused to see the closeness between the two.

Reo's eyes trailed over to the chef who greeted him in return. "Ah, yes, I honestly didn't want to." he flatly replied.

"Oh, _caro_ , but you say that all the time!" Bella pouted.

"Don't start your Italian with me, Bella. You know I always fall for it!" he chuckled.

She turned to Shinomiya and said, "Well, why don't we sit down and get started?"

The six-course meal went on smoothly. Just like Donato said, Reo cared little about the food. While Bella ate every dish with satisfaction, Reo just nibbled on each plate. Shinomiya looked displeased, and Bella would gave him a knowing look every time she caught him making such a face. The coral haired chef would talk business and the investor just sat silently as he babbled on. Sensing that he was losing interest, Bella reached for the bottle of wine. "More vino, Reo?" she offered, taking his glass and refilling it. "You know, Shino's might actually get a sommelier in the future,"

His eyes twinkled with interest. "Oh?"

"Anyone you can recommend?"

He took a sip of his wine and looked up in thought. "I do have a few in mind, especially for the auberge."

"Thank you, but maybe you can spare one for Shino's too." she winked.

By the end of the course, Reo had consumed more wine than the actual food. It was a peculiar sight for the staff of Shino's. This irked Shinomiya. If he had known earlier, he would have been more prepared with better wine and better food choices to pair it with.

"Tell me the truth, Bella. Are you double-crossing the auberge?" Reo turned to her and took another sip of wine. Honestly, nobody had a clue how high his tolerance was. But everyone knew it must have been at a superhuman level with all the glasses he's had.

She shook her head. "No way! You know I love Tesoro." she paused and slowly pushed back her brown hair before turning to Shinomiya. "Chef Shinomiya is a good friend of mine. And I'm actually an advisor for Shino's." her eyes darted to him and urged him to play along.

"Well, they made the right choice of asking you to help them." he replied and fiddled with the stem of his glass. "They need a better wine selection."

This guy was an asshole, or so, what Shinomiya thought as he heard the comment. But Bella kept her eyes on him as Reo talked. She reached up and scratched her earlobe awkwardly. It was honestly a pain sometimes to do business with him. He was terribly frank, sometimes to the point that it would make people squirm into a corner. One time, even Donato wanted to punch him during their meeting but didn't, because she was in the same room and her boss never displayed violence in front of women.

"That's why you should help them get a sommelier, _caro_." She suggested.

Reo sighed. "Look, I would love to help out, but I just invested in another French restaurant. I also granted you a hefty budget for your renovation today, _ne_ , Bella?" he explained and took a swig of his wine. "I know a lot of people who could potentially invest in Shino's. Would you like to meet them?"

The two chefs exchanged looks. "That's very generous." Shinomiya commented.

"Indeed it is. I'm very stingy with information." he pointed out. "I'm going to meet them tonight. I suggest that we already pack up and head over there."

"This is so sudden. Can we take a second to talk about it?" she replied.

Reo stood up and buttoned his coat. "Sure, I'll go outside for a smoke while you two talk it over."

As the two were left alone, the plates were starting to be cleared and the wine bottle was already downed by Bella. "You should go. If not him, you could find a better if not more investors."

"Fine," he agreed and finished the glass of wine. "But you're not leaving me alone with that asshole."

She shook her head and protested, "What? No way! It's late and I've had a long day."

"If you're going to offer help, you might as well go all the way." he retorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "You know how to return a favor, right?"

She knew exactly what he meant by that. But he was right. With all the trouble she caused him the last time, this should cut it close. "Fine, grab our coats."

* * *

The fluffy white sheets of her bed was the only thing she could think of as she lazily downed a glass of water. They ended up at an upscale bar in Roppongi, where they were showered with lavish hors d'oeuvres and the finest bottles of liquor. Bella had grown tired of schmoozing and had already reached her limit. She then found a corner at the bar to detoxify. Across the room, Shinomiya was surprisingly doing very well talking to a few investors.

Who would have known? He actually looked quite charming as he talked with confidence, occasionally smiling and nodding his head politely at the men he was talking to. She realized that her assumptions were probably wrong. Admittingly, she thought his bad attitude was what gave him a hard time looking for investors. Maybe he just needed a little help finding the right people.

When they ended the conversation, Shinomiya looked around and found her. He caught her gaze and he still had that soft, charming expression from when he was talking to investors earlier. She suddenly felt a blush creep on her cheeks. Her heart started to hasten its rhythm. _Why is he looking at me like that?_

She swallowed hard and asked for another glass of water. In her mind, the only reason for her to be breaking a sweat was her dire need for rest. But then, she felt her stomach turn as he made his way towards her.

Bella could only hope that the lack of good lighting would hide the flush she felt on her cheeks. She looked down at her glass of ice cold water and wiped the droplets of condensation with her fingers. She then rubbed it against the back of her neck in attempt to cool down from that heated feeling.

She sighed and looked up. At this time, she found herself surprised that a woman stopped him midway. How long did it take for her to suddenly swoop in? Shinomiya stood there and continued talking to the woman with long black hair. It took another second for Bella to realize that the woman was actually one of the rookies in the WGO. She was beautiful, vibrant...and touching him way too much. But he didn't seem to mind.

She drummed her fingers on the bar top as she waited for them to finish their conversation. But it seemed like it wasn't going to end soon. She checked for the time on her phone. It was almost two in the morning, and she couldn't wait anymore. Swiftly, she grabbed her purse and glanced at Shinomiya once again, who caught her gaze. Bella made a gesture to say goodbye as he acknowledged and focused on the woman once more. Feeling a little bit betrayed, she turned her heels and proceeded to leave the bar. "Ugh," she groaned. "Should have expected as much."

In the taxi ride home, she couldn't shake off the image of Shinomiya locking eyes with her across the room. She also couldn't get over how ungrateful he was for just dropping her at the end of the night for some black haired WGO girl. She sighed out loud for the nth time that night and placed a hand on her torso, trying to soothe that odd, gutted feeling in her stomach.

* * *

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for reading this chapter. So...Shinomiya is back from Paris! We'll see how this goes. I decided that I would take a little break from writing (just a short one!) so I can express myself better in the next chapter. Also, its my midterms for the next two weeks! So agggh the amount of papers I have to write and exams to study for is killing me. But will most def pull through.

Please follow this story if you like it. See you in the next one. :)


	7. The Unexpected Arrangement

Chapter 7: The Unexpected Arrangement

" _Buongiorno_!" Donato greeted with glee as he entered the auberge the next morning.

There was a peculiar vibe that permeated Tesoro's kitchen that day. The Italian chef wondered why his staff was particularly uneasy as they huddled into different corners of the inn. The next few weeks would be hell on earth for the auberge, as Valentine's day was just around the corner. But still, it was far too early in the morning for everyone to be so tense. He walked around to greet each person and ask what was going on.

"Chef Bella has been at it in the kitchen since we got here." Kaoru informed him as she nervously pointed to the sous chef who was hard at work in her own space.

Donato looked over to his aide and found her working on what seemed like a pastry dish. Her diligence in the auberge was unquestionable, but what concerned him was the way she moved that day. The bowls and pans on the counter were in a slight disarray. Stains of flour and other mixtures were on the counter and the way his sous chef moved wasn't of grace; she was a little bit out of control, and most of all, frustrated.

"Everything alright?" he spoke as he made his way to her. "You're quite early today."

Bella looked up and smiled at her boss. " _Buongiorno_ , chef." she greeted and wiped her hands with a towel.

He peered over her work. "Macarons?" he assumed as he observed the ingredients. The sous chef nodded her head and stopped to notice what was going on. She glanced at the wall clock and realized that she had been at it for about four hours already. The second she got to work, Bella had poured herself out onto the dish, and still, she was not successful.

"I can never do this right." she grumbled and placed her hands on the counter to signal defeat.

Donato crossed his arms over his chest as he thought. An idea crossed his mind, but he wasn't so sure about it. So, he proceeded with caution, "You're troubled." he simply commented.

She tried to pass it off with a chuckle. "I can never get anything past you, chef."

He placed a hand on her shoulder in an effort to console her. Donato knew that whatever troubled her in that moment would either pass, or she would eventually tell him when she was ready. But still, he couldn't shake off the assumption he had with all the clues that were right in front of him. "Shinomiya isn't helping?" he took a gamble with that question.

"Pardon?" she clarified. The sound of his name felt like a bolt of lightning to her chest.

"His tips on making macarons," he quickly pointed out. "I assume they're not helping you complete your dish."

Bella smiled in relief. "I guess not," she answered with a shrug. "And I really wanted to try this dish for the Valentine's day menu, Chef."

"It's not about the dish, Isabella. It's your approach to making the dish itself." he chastised.

In that moment, she looked around and noticed the uneasiness that she had caused all the people in the room. Although she came in extra early that day, she had failed to notice the time and staff members who were coming in. They had probably seen her dismay and exhaustion. She became so consumed with making that damn pastry, that she convinced herself, if she can finally make it, she can get over it. But it wasn't just a pastry. It was the feelings that she associated with it. "I'm sorry, chef." she apologized.

He sighed. "I'm only going to say this once," he began carefully as he picked up a piece of macaron shell and observed it intently. "You can't correct what you're not willing to confront."

Bella pursed her lips and remained silent. The lack of sleep was evident in the dark circles under her eyes. Although she was completely exhausted from the long night she had accompanying Shinomiya to find sponsors, she could not sleep. She tossed and turned all night, until she felt aggravated by the situation. Finally, she decided to just surrender to an hour or two of sleep until she woke up again, feeling that pit in her stomach whenever she thought of him.

"So…" she trailed off, trying to change the mood. "Speaking of which, I think Shinomiya successfully got sponsors."

"Oh? I'm glad to hear that then. Thank you so much for your help." he replied. It took a lot of effort for him to give her a considerable smile. But behind it, Donato could tell that his sous chef was once again trying to escape something, and he had the slightest hint that Shinomiya was part of it. He decided to wait and see how this would all unfold.

* * *

As promised, they all confirmed to help moderate the 92nd generation's third year advancement exam. Bella and Donato headed over to Totsuki for a meeting with Dojima Gin. It had been awhile since the sous chef had gone back. The thought of her seeing her alma mater excited her, yet, made her antsy at the same time.

In the hall, Dojima Gin rounded up about ten more chefs apart from their group. Almost half of Totsuki batch 92' had been expelled in their second year. Hence, only a few chefs were needed for the event. Still, word was this was the highest number of students advancing to their third year in a long time. Bella recognized their friends present in the venue: Sekimori, Mizuhara, Hinako, and of course, Shinomiya (whom she avoided eye contact with at all costs).

"Thank you, chefs. I know you all have been very busy. So, I'm giving you ample time to prepare for this request." Dojima greeted everyone.

The three day affair was to be held in Kyushu in the next month. Apart from having their own challenges, Dojima decided that the finals would be similar to a bout of the Regiment de Cuisine. He divided the group into dyads. As he called out the pairings, Bella breathed out a sigh of relief when she was partnered up with Sekimori. She gave a nod to her _senpai_ to acknowledge their partnership.

"Sorry, just a moment - Sekimori-san, you'll be partnered with Inui instead." Dojima apologized. He paused for a moment in thought. "I have a feeling she and Shinomiya won't work well together."

Bella noticed his eyes trail off to the coral-haired chef seated at the corner. _No._

"Shinomiya, you'll be with Yamamoto."

There goes that lightning bolt again. She placed a hand on her chest and swallowed the lump in her throat before turning to him and giving a polite nod. Shinomiya did the same. _Three days,_ Bella thought. But she didn't make such a big issue about it. It was only to moderate an exam. No big deal.

After the meeting, dinner was served in another hall. However, she didn't really have that much of an appetite. Instead, she wandered the halls of Totsuki, checking out what was new. She stopped by the library and recalled how little she spent time there. Then, passed by the kitchen halls, where she spent more time than the library for sure. But it was a must for her to pass by the quad. She stood under the cherry blossom trees, which were still dead, of course, as they had about another month or so left of winter.

The quad was the place she hung out the most with Ruth, talking about their classes of the day, gossiping about boys, and since she was a little bit chubby back then, this was where she would eat chunks of sweets and would get teased by boys in their class about it. She laughed inwardly thinking of those fond times. But just then, a chill ran through her spine.

Shinomiya stepped out of the building with a phone in his ear. The sous chef whipped her head to his direction and they locked eyes. She nodded her head to him in greeting but didn't receive acknowledgement. So, she decided to just mind her own business.

"You just left last night," He suddenly spoke to her, slipping his phone in his coat pocket and making his way towards her.

"I gestured goodbye. Besides, you were doing fine already. I assume you've gotten sponsors?" she turned and replied to him with a smile.

He nodded his head in reply. "Good," Bella answered as she slipped her cold, sweaty hands in her pockets. "I'm glad I could help out. And besides...you seemed quite busy with that woman last night. I didn't want to get in the way, chef."

Shinomiya was a little taken aback by her reply. A smirk etched on his lips. "I still would have preferred if you had waited and we could have left together. Reo came looking for you right after you left."

"Oh," her mouth rounded in realization. She mulled over the idea that perhaps it was rude of her to not actually make the effort to personally say goodbye to him and Reo. "I'm sorry, chef. I'll make sure to give him a call."

He fished out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "Here," he said, stoically handing it over. "It's idiot-proof."

She arched her brow in confusion but took it anyway. The slightest touch of their fingers sent a wave of electricity through her veins. She unfolded it and stared at it incredulously. "A...recipe? For macarons?"

He averted his gaze. "This is thanks for last night. And I don't want to be a part of any lies that you tell your boss."

"Thank you...chef." she shyly and hesitantly replied.

"Well, I'll see you at the advancement exam, _partner_." he grinned and turned to leave.

As she watched him walk away, she stared at the recipe in her hands. Donato's words from earlier that day echoed in her mind as she shifted gazes from the paper, then to him, back and forth. Her heartbeat quickened and it seemed like she could hear a slight ringing sound in her ear with the tension she felt. "Chef Shinomiya," she blurted out. As he turned to her with a puzzled expression, Bella walked towards him in a hastened pace. "I -" she stammered.

"What is it?"

Without thinking, she reached out and placed her hands on the sides of his face. She tiptoed and kissed him.

She couldn't help herself. Bella wanted a taste. She also figured that the only way she can get over him was to set a condition in her head. _One last kiss, then I'm done._ Perhaps Chef Donato was right. The only way to get over your demons is to come face to face with it.

As she pulled away, he stood there wide-eyed and frozen at her advances. "I'll see you, Chef." she said diplomatically, walking away without even waiting for his reaction.

* * *

Although the assertive methods of solving Bella's problems were completely effective for her, Shinomiya couldn't say the same thing for him. Close to midnight, he found himself walking a familiar road. His hands were clenched in his pockets, feet were growing tired of pacing back and forth an apartment building. _Damnit_ , he thought to himself as he vividly recalled the feeling of her plush lips against his.

He found himself in front of her door, buzzing the doorbell in a series of steady requests, then developing to urgent calls for her to open up. She opened the door with a surprised expression on her face. "Chef…?" she bit her lip down in confusion. "What's going on?"

She made way for him to enter her apartment and they stood in the middle of the living room. Wrapped up in a fluffy pink robe, Bella crossed her arms over her chest in anxiety. "What's going on?" she asked again as she glanced at the wall clock. "It's late. What are you -"

"What the hell did you do?" he growled out of frustration.

"...What?"

The air around them had gone incredibly thick. The choice of words he used perplexed her. She wasn't sure what he was referring to. But as she stood there in front of him, he wondered what she had done to make him look this aggravated. "Did something happen with Reo?" she sighed with concern. The sponsorships was the only thing she could think of.

"No," he spat. "What was that?" he roared right after.

She shook her head in confusion. "What was what?" At that moment, she thought of the kiss earlier that night. But she wasn't sure if that was exactly he was referring to.

"How could you just - you think you can just..." he gritted his teeth and stomped his way towards her.

Bella stepped back in fear, but Shinomiya managed to grab her by the waist and press his lips against hers. Her lips mewled against his in protest. Her arms shot up in shock, not knowing if she should push him away or lean it against him. Her heartbeat quickened at his hostile behavior. Then he pulled away completely, taking a step back before putting his closed fist in front of his lips.

They stared at each other in shock, completely unsure of what just happened. Shinomiya could feel his heartbeat thump louder and louder in his chest. His arms felt like it was quivering but he recognized the desire of his feet to gravitate towards her. Likewise, Bella's heartbeat simply did not calm down. She thought she had it all figured out, completely under control when she kissed him earlier. But when he did the same to her, it was like he took a hammer to the glass box she built around her pent-up emotions.

"What is this? Revenge?" she managed to scoff.

He clicked his tongue in ire. "Not even close." he hissed and grabbed her once again.

Shinomiya served her a plate of what she would be missing and she realized that she couldn't stop with just a taste of it; she wanted the whole damn dish. Her arms latched onto his neck as they moved around hazily. Lips locked on lips, tongues deliriously battling for dominance; his hands travelling aimlessly from the small of her back to her waist, pulling her closer as if he just couldn't get enough. She hit the foot of the couch and clumsily fell onto it. Her lips parted from his as she gasped for air, hands laying back on the furniture for balance. He bent down, one knee on the couch and another cemented on the floor to stabilize him.

He locked his eyes on her and saw her waiting for him to make the next move. Likewise, Bella gazed back at his amber eyes and saw his burning desire for more. She couldn't fathom what was going on, but for some reason, she found herself wanting to discard all formalities. Without saying a word, he slowly leaned in and tugged the knot of her robe, loosening it, and slipping it off her shoulder. He leaned in and kissed her skin delicately, moving his lips from the blades of her shoulders to the crook of her neck. She closed her eyes and sat back, letting out a small moan.

Wanting to hear that amorous sound once again, he teased her by completely stripping her off the item of clothing wrapped around her, leaving her cold and wanting to feel his warmth. His hands travelled from her shoulders to her hands, guiding them to the hemline of his sweater and allowing her to undress him. Shinomiya grazed his lips on the other side of her neck, leaving no skin unmarked by the warmth of his kisses. " _Cazzo_ ," she cursed and moaned in Italian. She tugged his shirt, motioning her desire to leave him bare.

His lips smirked against her skin as he slid off the straps of her silk nightgown. He moved to trail kisses on her chest, nipping and lapping at every corner that gave her pleasure. Bella's hands travelled to his belt, unbuckling it slowly as her thoughts grew more and more faded with his touch. "B-bed." she managed to mumble in his ear.

Shinomiya hoisted her up, a hand resting on her thigh and the other squeezing her ass as she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. With her arms around his neck, she leaned in and continued battling her tongue down his throat. He spread her on the sheets and tugged on the silk fabric that remained clung onto her skin to ask for permission. Nodding her head in agreement, she also unbuttoned his pants and slipped it off him. And soon enough, both of them laid there, completely exposed but still unfazed by the would-be consequences of their actions.

He hovered over her and saw lust in her hazel eyes. Her hands wandered on his chest, feeling his skin as she bit down her lower lip in anticipation. He let out a low chuckle and said, "You sure about this?"

She nodded her head and allowed him to take over. " _Fuck_ , Shinomiya..." she moaned as her back arched in ecstasy.

He leaned in close to her ear, " _Plus fort_ ," he demanded as he hastened his pace.

"S-Shinomiya -" her voice was lusty, heeding his request.

Skin rubbed against skin. Hands moved in a frenzied manner as the two of them rediscovered what felt as good as the first time. But you know what they say, things are so much better the second time around.

* * *

Bella woke up to the incessant shaking of Shinomiya. Her eyes flew open in realization that she wasn't alone in her apartment. The events that transpired last night came rushing back to her. "Wake up." he scolded as he pulled the sheets off her, leaving her cold. "Don't you have work?"

She made a sound in ire as she crouched and covered herself with the pillows. He saw her squirming in discomfort and he threw the blanket back on top of her. She then grabbed it and wrapped her body around it. Sitting up, she ran her fingers through her messy hair as she watched him do the same beside her.

The sun was shining brightly that day, signalling a new day and reminding them a night of...well, honestly, they didn't know either. "So," she started. "Last night…" she continued, but found herself unable to do so. So instead, she looked back at him, hoping he could continue.

He gave her a dubious look and found it amusing how both of them depended on each other to assess the situation. A one night stand was understandable. But this was the second time it happened. And truthfully, Shinomiya didn't want it to stop. "What happened to keeping it professional?" He quoted her own words against her. She was speechless, merely looking down at the sheets and absentmindedly running her hands through them. After all, he was right. And technically, she started it.

He mustered up all the air in his lungs to say, "Do you regret this?"

"...No." she pursed her lips and gave him a side glance. "Do you?"

"No." he answered as well and then lifted her chin until they met eye to eye. "Should we stop?"

Bella pulled back and hid herself under the sheets. It was an attempt to conceal her vulnerability. "Yes...no, I..I don't know."

"We've been through this before." he reminded and the bed shifted when he stood up.

She re-appeared and sat with her legs crossed, elbow resting on her thigh and chin to her palm. Her lips moved into a pout as she watched him put his sweater on. "You're making that face again," Shinomiya pointed out as he faced her mirror and smoothed out his hair. "I can't always keep my shirt off, you know."

"I know," she sighed and stood up with the sheets still wrapped around her body. "I just like you better without it."

He turned to her and closed the distance. "I like you better without this," he smirked and tugged the sheets loose.

They kept their eyes on each other, still waiting for someone to make a move. Knowing that he already made the effort to bring it up earlier, Bella thought she should be the one to say something this time. "So...you asked me before if I wanted to do this again." she spoke with caution.

"Yes." he casually answered.

Bella breathed in deeply. "What does this mean?" she searched his eyes for a name on what to call whatever it was that was happening between them.

Shinomiya simply walked past her to find his glasses in the living room. She must've tossed it somewhere at one point last night. "You and I can't seem to stop this." he firmly stated. "But, I don't really have the patience for a relationship per se." he later added as he grabbed his glasses, which was resting in between couch cushions.

She completely understood. But truth be told, Bella had very little interest in being in one too. Although Donato always urged her (and she did think about it once in a while), romantic relationships just didn't matter to her that much, especially after the last one she was in. But still, she couldn't deny that she continuously craved for him in a certain way. She just didn't want to complicate things since they were so-called 'friends'. But there they were, both adamant to the same idea. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"I'm not looking for anything in particular." she answered.

He stopped cleaning his glasses and gave a her a look before slipping it on. "No ill-emotions." he made it clear.

"Let's be adults about this. I have no expectations." she affirmed.

Shinomiya walked to her and snaked an arm around her waist. "Fine." he answered and ruffled her hair with his free hand.

"Ugh," she snarled and pushed his hand away. "You're a lot sexier in bed."

"Am I?" he raised an eyebrow suggestively. She rolled her eyes at his cockiness, but admitted to herself that she was beginning to find their little exchanges quite amusing. He dipped in to give her a kiss that took her breath away before he pulled back and left her with half opened lids and parted lips. "Get to work." he hissed and walked away.

Bella watched him walk to the door. Gone was the gutted feeling in her stomach. She couldn't tell exactly what replaced it. But she felt at ease - _definitely_ much more at ease. After all, denial can be so exhausting.

The second Shinomiya reached for the knob, the lock turned and the door swung open. A tall blonde stood there, completely in shock as she stared back at the coral-haired chef. Her eyes darted to her best friend who was still wrapped in bedsheets behind him. The situation didn't need further explanation.

 _Holy shit._ "Ruth!" Bella exclaimed making her way to the door.

"...Bella?" the blonde kept going back and forth at the chef and her best friend.

"Chef Shinomiya, this is Ruth...my best friend," she began as she clutched the back of his shirt nervously. Shinomiya looked at her in return, brows knit together in confusion as she sighed and heard her say, "and Donato's girlfriend."

* * *

 _Terms:_

 _Cazzo (Italian) - fuck_

 _Plus fort (French) - louder_

 _A/N: Hi everyone! Ahh. I cannot write a graphic/lemon scene to save my life. So, I hope you guys enjoyed this lime instead. I don't know about you, but I find myself slowly falling in love with developing the Bella and Shinomiya ship. As you guys can see, this story is a little bit of a slow burn. But with an OC, we don't really have a set character background to begin with, so it can't be helped but to learn bits and pieces about her and how relationships develop as we go along. Also, there was only one mention of Shinomiya re: romantic relationships in the manga and anime. If you recall, Donato and Hinako mentioned that it's his critical character that makes him terrible with women and relationships. So, I'm looking forward to working with that piece of information. Ciao, and see you in the next chapter!_


	8. Unspoken Rules

**A/N: Hello everyone! I've missed you all. Took me a while to update, but I hope that this chapter is worth it. It's honestly my personal fave as of the moment. Without further ado, here's chapter 8.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Unspoken Rules

Shinomiya Kojiro pushed up his glasses and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes," he reluctantly breathed out. He was starting to get a headache. First it was Mizuhara, now it was this blonde that was named Ruth. How many more people needed to know that something was going on? "Donato mentioned he was seeing someone." he added.

The sunny blonde extended her hand, "I'm Ruth. Nice to meet you…?"

"Shinomiya Kojiro."

"Right," the blonde nodded earnestly. "Wait a minute...Shinomiya?!"

She could hardly believe her surprise to find him in her apartment. All she could do was simply blink in disbelief and then shoot a roguish grin at the sous chef. As Bella's cheeks turned pink, her hand loosened from clutching the back of Shinomiya's shirt. "Chef," she cleared her throat. "You'll be late."

He turned to her and gave her a diplomatic nod in return. "Nice meeting you." he told the blonde as he walked past her. Soon enough, he was already out of the way and behind the elevator doors.

"Wow," Ruth's smile got even wider. "What the hell was that?"

"N-nothing," Bella sheepishly answered. "Why the heck are you here? And why do you still have my spare keys?"

Ruth shut the door and walked into the kitchen. "You told me I can use it, right?" She looked around for coffee, but not having it in sight just made her think of more ways to poke fun at her best friend. "Well, no coffee yet...this is new. I guess it was quite the busy morning, huh?" her eyebrow arched at the brunette.

"You know where to find it. Make me a cup too." Bella waved her off as she walked into the bathroom.

"Don't change the subject!" she finally cried out. "Was that Shinomiya Kojiro? THE Shinomiya from High School? From Totsuki? From the magazines?"

"Yes," she hollered back.

"The same Shinomiya that you -"

"Yes, the same."

"Ohmygod," Ruth quickly exhaled, hardly containing her emotions. " _You_ and Shinomiya. You guys, with the sheets and him in your apartment. You guys…"

Bella emerged from the bathroom dressed for the day. "Yes, we did." she hesitantly replied, but then her lips curved upwards into a shy smile.

"Well, well, well," the blonde chimed. "'Certainly did not expect that. Although, I _did_ see you two together at the bar in Roppongi."

"Yeah...well, things happen. And maybe things happen...again."

Her jaw dropped. "Things happen? And again? What exactly are you two?" her eyes narrowed with concern.

Bella shrugged and sighed. "Friends?"

"Huh," Ruth breathed out as she tilted her head to the side. "...with friction?"

"I guess you can say that."

As the Moka pot simmered on the stove, Bella poured out the incidents of what happened from day one. Ruth, on the other hand, had a lot of questions and couldn't help herself from interrupting every now and then. "Wow," she breathed out again and shook her head in disbelief. "I never really thought this would happen. I mean, who would have thought that you'd actually end up with your high school crush?"

As Bella poured the piping hot coffee in the cups, and she couldn't help but stop to think about the turn of events. When Kojiro graduated, she was almost a hundred percent sure that she would never see him again. It wasn't totally true, because she did see him on magazines and TV interviews, but technically speaking, she was almost confident that they would never cross paths again. Until Donato came in.

"Well, not 'end up' per se."

"You guys are dramatic. Why didn't you guys just go for it the first time it happened?" she chastised, flailing her arms up in the process. "I mean, it's clear you guys can't stay away from one another."

"I...didn't think it was a good idea. And the situation isn't the most ideal, you know. Unlike you and Chef Donato." she pointed out.

"So, let me get this straight...Donato doesn't know about this?"

"No," she sternly replied. "And you can't tell him about it."

The blonde's lips took an immediate downturn. "Well, fuck me, Bella. Come on! You know it's going to be hard for me to keep this a secret from him!"

As reliable as she is, Ruth had a problem with keeping her mouth shut with her boyfriends. She always found it as second nature to share everything - from her day, happenings with friends, to the latest tea she overheard from the patisserie and culinary colleagues. "You can't tell." Bella reminded. "I don't know how he'll react, and honestly, I'm still trying to come to terms with the whole thing."

"Fine," she groaned and crossed her arms over her chest. "But when he finds out that I've known it all this time, I will blame you for everything."

 _Geez, she sounds like Mizuhara._ Bella smirked and took a sip. "By the way, how is your life my dear boss?"

Ruth's cheeks immediately turned scarlet. "He's going to be late for work today."

"You spent the night with him?"

"We...were busy last night." her eyes twinkled.

Bella shot her a knowing look. "Right…"

"How about you, though? Feeling okay after _all that_ with Shinomiya- _senpai_?"

She giggled and hid behind her cup of espresso. Every muscle in her body felt completely sore from that late night activity. But she felt something fluttering in her stomach. Surrendering to Shinomiya had never felt so freeing. "Exhausted."

"He's good, isn't he?" I know that look." Ruth grinned.

Bella nodded her head. "Oh, _real_ good."

* * *

A few weeks had gone by and Shinomiya and Bella had somehow grown accustomed to a routine. They would squeeze in a few hours a week to meet up at each other's apartments. The Pluspol chef was quite in demand, after all, and likewise, Bella had just finished Valentine's day at the auberge (which literally translated to 'hell on earth' for her). But everyone needs a little bit of self-care; and for the two chefs, their little arrangement always seemed to hit the spot.

It was another late night, and unlike their other sessions, the two chefs started off the evening with business - literally, business. "Hm," Shinomiya sighed, reviewing the last few details of a contract. He looked up and found the sous chef across the room, situated on the floor. She was focused, typing away on her laptop with a blanket wrapped around her and a stick of candy dangling from the edge of her lips. "You always eat that crap." he mused.

Without looking up, she retorted, "It's not crap. It's delicious. The pinnacle of my childhood."

"It's just a stick of sugar and artificial food coloring."

"Bad things always taste nice." she winked.

It couldn't be helped that they started noticing each other's little quirks. Shinomiya liked to wind down with three types of drinks: tea, wine, or whisky (if it was a terrible day). Bella always felt peckish while working; she would always nibble on a stick of candy or a bar of caramel. He hated it when the room was warm. She was sensitive to the cold. Countless times, they've fought over the thermostat. But Bella being...well, Bella, she always gave way to other people's needs. So, the compromise was that she would always be bundled up in a blanket when she was there. Everything was pristine in his apartment. It was always a mess in hers. So, he always preferred their late night rendezvous at his place.

He arched an eyebrow, pausing his work.

She was completely caught off guard when the chef suddenly moved to sit behind her on the couch. She shuddered when he leaned in and felt his warm, damp, lips against her neck. She moaned and arched her shoulders.

He grabbed her waist, but she fought back, saying, "I'm still working!"

"You're too slow." he frowned.

"I'm advancing my work, chef." She glowered. "I'm leaving for Italy in two days, and I won't be able to help you out with your sponsorships."

He leaned back. _Leaving?_ Business trips were unavoidable for them, but he was surprised that she never bothered to mention it to him. She noticed his silence. Looking up, she bit her lip in uncertainty and asked, "Was I supposed to tell you?"

In romantic relationships, there are two general rules: Communicate. Don't cheat. But as far as the two chefs were concerned, there were no set rules for their casual arrangement.

Were they supposed to?

Wasn't that too much work?

Won't it take out the fun of it all?

But then again, Bella realized just how confusing it was. She wasn't sure just how much she should tell him. Nor did she know if he was obligated to tell her his business as well. They were professionals, and she easily assumed he would do the same if the situation was reversed.

Shinomiya shook his head. "No, you didn't need to."

 _Unspoken Rule # 1: No expectations._

"Don't miss me too much." she grinned.

He clicked his tongue at her assumption. "Whatever."

She had already gotten used to his cold remarks, that by now, it just seemed like ordinary words thrown into the air. "Find someone else to entertain you while I'm gone." she nonchalantly commented. Though secretly, somehow...she wished he wouldn't.

"Tch. Why bother?" he sighed. Bella bit her lip in attempt to conceal her grin.

Aside from noticing their little quirks, they had a few chances to have small conversation about their personal life. Confiding in each other about their past would just forge a deeper connection between them. So, they often tiptoed around each other, thinking it would be wise to not get too emotionally attached.

 _Unspoken Rule #2: No romantic feelings._

"Right..." she agreed, keeping her eyes on the screen. "Chef..." she trailed off. "You think you'll ever try dating again...like, for real?" she bit her tongue right after she asked that question. It was a huge gamble, and she was already expecting the worst. But it had been a question that bugged her ever since they first started sleeping together. Pseudo-relationships aren't made to last.

"What?" he spat.

She quickly felt she had stepped on a land mine. Afraid to look up, she just shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Let's be real, chef. You and I aren't perpetual."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you trying to suggest something?"

"No. I was just wondering how it will all go down in case we decide to start seeing other people." she pondered, meeting his gaze. "Should I tell you if I start seeing someone?"

Truthfully, Shinomiya never thought about it. He enjoyed having her around, that it was never a priority to think too much of it. With a flick of his finger to her forehead, he chided, "Oi, don't ruin this for me."

She pouted and furrowed her brows at him. "What? I'm being realistic."

"You think too much. Just tell me. It's not an issue." He snapped.

"Alright then."

Shinomiya pinched the bridge of his nose, avoiding the possibility of a headache. The room had gone silent, and he cursed in his head for the sudden change of the mood. _Why the fuck did she have to bring that up?_ He actually started to think about it. Relationships were a lot of work: remembering special dates, wasting time on lazy Saturdays, and investing a chunk of yourself in it. It's not like he never wanted it. It is but natural to yearn for companionship. But the thing is, he had no time for such frivolous things. Lazy Saturdays do not yield three Michelin stars.

"And...done!" Bella beamed. She exhaled a sigh of relief and noticed the chef at war with his thoughts on the couch. Quietly, she moved to sit on his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist. He moved his hand away from his face and gazed back at her hazel eyes. She tilted her head, smiled, and circled her arms around his neck.

It was 11:42 at night and they both could have been asleep in their own beds by now. But the warmth of her body was just too inviting. "You've caused me too many headaches tonight, you brat." he grunted.

"I know what will make you feel better." a glint was in her eye as she motioned to take off his shirt.

 _Unspoken Rule #3: It should always be fun._

She ditched the candy from her lips and traded it for the taste of his skin. Shinomiya leaned back, allowing her to continue as she begun moving her lips from the base of his neck, down to his collarbone, then to his chest, stopping just above the button of his pants. She paused and looked up. His eyes bore into hers, anticipating her every move. A smirk etched her lips and she resumed with the goal of making him come undone.

* * *

"Can we please stay in my apartment next time?" she rolled off his frame and laid flat on the bed. "It's extra work just to keep traveling back and forth here."

"Your place is a pigsty."

She pouted her lips and narrowed her eyes at him. "You're exaggerating. Normal people don't keep their apartments as immaculate as yours."

"No." he simply retorted.

"I've been coming here more times than you did to my - "

"No."

With a grunt, she shifted her body to the other side. "Fine," she hissed. "Geez, I'll just cut my visits short."

A few moments of silence passed and she found herself dangerously on the verge of drifting off to sleep on his sheets. It couldn't be helped. Both chefs had been working a minimum of 12-hour shifts and Bella had only started to recover from the Valentine's Day festivities of the auberge yesterday.

 _Unspoken Rule # 4: No sleepovers._

Shinomiya, likewise, felt that his eyes were starting to become heavy. He immediately nudged her to awaken, but merely grumbled in return. "Time to go home," he reminded, hovering over her.

"Five minutes…"

He clicked his tongue and shook his head. If she wouldn't wake up now, he too, would fall asleep next to her. It was something that he knew would be out of bounds of their casual affair. He resolved to lean in and nibble on the skin near her ear.

"Mmm," she groaned in irritation.

In the weeks that they've gotten to know more and more about each other, Shinomiya noticed that she felt the most ticklish on this spot. When she still wouldn't wake up, he bit down and sucked hard on the delicate skin.

Her eyes flew open. "Shinomiya!" she scolded, immediately sitting up and glaring at him.

"Time to go home."

She rubbed sleep from her eyes and stretched her arms out. "Geez, I still have to pack…" she yawned. "At least I get to relax in first class after all this."

"First class?" he spat. "You guys have quite the budget at the auberge."

"Oh, well...Reo sponsored it." she shrugged.

He threw her a suspicious look. "Reo's traveling to Italy with you?"

Bella gestured for him to toss her brassiere towards her. Clothes just seem to fly off to places whenever they were together. "Yeah, he _is_ our biggest investor," she stated. "He doesn't usually come over, but he said he wants to meet the new sous chef in training, especially since he's taking my place here in Tokyo."

Shinomiya became even more confused. "You're moving?"

It was then that she realized another thing she failed to mention to him. She bit her lip down for a second before reluctantly replying, "Yeah...I guess I forgot to tell you. I didn't think it was a big deal, seeing as it hasn't been set in stone yet."

They stood across each other in the room, eyes locked on one another with the slightest look of both longing and hesitation. "Don't miss me too much, chef." she repeated.

"Shut up."

She giggled and walked towards him. "I'll be back in time for the Totsuki exam. I guess I'll see you in Kyushu."

* * *

Shinomiya awoke to the constant buzzing of his phone. He grumbled multiple times, trying to ignore the constant dinging sound. He quickly grabbed it, attempting to throw it to the wall, but then he realized that it might be an emergency. Adjusting his glasses to his face, he swiped up and read the thread of messages.

'HinakoInui has created a group chat'

'HinakoInui has renamed the group chat to:Totsuki Awesome Chefs of the World'

'HinakoInui set the nickname for HinakoInui to Hinakothegreat'

'Hinakothegreat set the nickname for FMizuhara to Zombiehara'

'Hinakothegreat set the nickname for IsabellaYamamoto to DolceBella'

'Hinakothegreat set the nickname for DonatoGotoda to Meraviglioso'

'Hinakothegreat set the nickname for SekimoriHitoshi to Masterchefsekimori'

'Hinakothegreat set the nickname for KShinomiya to Shinomiya_baka'

"What the fuck, Hinako…" Shinomiya cursed as he continued scrolling through the messages.

It was a series of mindless conversation between his four friends. Hinako was thrilled with the idea of them all keeping in touch through the group chat. Donato agreed, ecstatic with the idea. _Why are they still awake?_ Mizuhara only commented one-liners, mostly poking fun at Hinako. Sekimori only replied once to acknowledge the formation of the group. He placed his phone on silent mode. Just before putting it down on the bedside table, an incoming message caught his attention.

DolceBella: Sorry, just caught up with all your messages! Thanks for making this group chat, ＠Hinakothegreat.

It had been a week and a half since she left. Shinomiya checked the time. It was almost two in the morning in Japan, and after a brief calculation, he knew that it was probably dinner time in Italy.

Hinakothegreat: What time is it there, ＠DolceBella?

DolceBella: 7:12PM. Just about to have dinner! Why aren't you guys asleep yet. Lol.

Zombiehara: ＠Hinakothegreat you woke me up, you idiot.

Meraviglioso: On my way home ＠DolceBella

DolceBella: Oh, is that right, chef ＠Meraviglioso? *smug*

Hinakothegreat: How do you guys like your nicknames?

Meraviglioso: Can't complain.

Zombiehara: It pains me to tag your username.

DolceBella: I think it's cute.

Shinomiya_baka: It's stupid.

Hinakothegreat: ＠Shinomiya_baka Senpai! You're still awake?

Shinomiya_baka: You woke me up too, _baka_ ＠Hinakothegreat

The chat continued for a while with Shinomiya and Hinako hurling insults at each other. The rest chimed in, and it seemed like they were having a mini-online party. Hinako's idea was actually brilliant. All of them longed to hang out and talk, but with the demands of their career, it just never seemed feasible. But with all the advancement of technology, why haven't they thought of this sooner?

'Hinakothegreat sent an image to the group'

Hinakothegreat: ＠DolceBella Ohmygosh! You're trending!

Zombiehara: Why do I feel like ＠Hinakothegreat spends more time online than in the kitchen?

Shinomiya's brows furrowed at the file sent to the group. It was a screenshot of a post from the social media site, _JP Social_ , in which Bella and Reo had been photographed together at a restaurant in Florence. The headline was bright red, reading:

Forbes' 30 Under 30 Canoodling in Italy

He couldn't help but remember the last thing they talked about when they were together. Was she dating him?

 _Unspoken Rule #5: Never assume._

DolceBella: Oh. Wow.

Meraviglioso: Care to explain ＠DolceBella?

Hinakothegreat: Is that Hideyuki Reo? The billionaire?

DolceBella: Yes...he's our VIP.

DolceBella: It's nothing, chef, ＠Meraviglioso. Reo wanted to talk business outside the auberge.

Hinakothegreat: What kind of business? (゜-゜) *gasp*

Zombiehara: The sanitation department should check your head for the filth it has accumulated ＠Hinakothegreat

Hinakothegreat: *eyeroll* ＠Zombiehara

DolceBella: It's nothing, you guys! ＠Meraviglioso Reo wanted to do evaluations outside the auberge.

Meraviglioso: ＠DolceBella Getting a little handsy?

The picture was a little bit off. Reo was leaning in, eyes locked on hers and a hand that looked like it was sliding across the table, halfway through an attempt to hold hers. Hideyuki Reo was rumoured to be a billionaire playboy. In the year that they've worked together, he had always joked about coming onto her, but the sous chef was strictly business. Besides, it would be too messy to get involved with an investor.

DolceBella: ＠Meraviglioso Final rounds before we close up. Will report later!

Hinakothegreat: How come she gets to be with all the good-looking guys?

Zombiehara: Because she's not horse-faced like you ＠Hinakothegreat. *evil laugh*

Hinakothegreat: Seriously? You're becoming a lot like ＠Shinomiya_baka.

Hinakothegreat: Senpai ＠Shinomiya_baka are you still awake?

The chef placed his phone down on the bedside table and leaned against the headboard. He was awake, alright. There was a sudden, unnerving feeling in the pit of his stomach. His thoughts lingered on the screenshot, albeit, he willed himself to not look at it again. But there was a certain itch he wanted to scratch and his hand travelled absentmindedly to the table, retrieving the gadget once more.

A DM popped up on the screen.

IsabellaYamamoto: Send nudes.

Shinomiya's lips curled up, and instantly, he replied.

KShinomiya: You first.

Bella's eyes widened. _What the fuck._

IsabellaYamamoto: ...I'm kidding.

KShinomiya: Obviously.

His fingers fiddled on the sides of his phone as he stared at the screen. And when he awoke the next day, he was surprised that he dozed off, phone still in hand, but no reply from the Italian sous chef.


	9. Friction

_A/N: Wow! It took me forever to update! I was expecting to post more during my one week off school break, but yuuuup, that didn't happen. Anyway, thank you so much to everyone who follows this fic. Truly, truly, I am so grateful that you guys follow it or add it to your favorites. Reviews motivate me to write more too. So, thank you!_

* * *

Chapter 9: Friction

"Oh? You're alone today, Chef Donato?" Hinako observed. "I think I've already gotten used to you being with Bella all the time."

The blonde Italian shrugged his shoulders. "Her flight was delayed."

The dark clouds enveloped the sky as it brought a rainy Monday in Fukuoka. The day of the Totsuki Culinary School advancement exam had finally come. The first quarter of the year is always the busiest time for people in the culinary profession, with demanding occasions such as New Year and Valentine's Day, the chefs had been hard at work. Other than administering the exam for the third year hopefuls, it was also a perfect opportunity for them to relax at the five-star resort.

Mizuhara looked over to Shinomiya, "What if she's late for the first task?"

"What of it? I can administer the exam by myself." He retorted, seeming to be unfazed by such a concern. He did, however, eagerly anticipate her arrival for other reasons.

"Well, I hope not," the sous chef appeared behind Sekimori. She was pulling a carry-on baggage on one hand. "I was really looking forward to being a judge here!"

Her boss beamed with delight, immediately assisting her with her baggage. " _Grazie a Dio!_ you made it on time!"

She smiled meekly in return, apologizing as she explained why she was late in the first place. "I don't want to point fingers...but let's just say my traveling companion made us miss our flight, so he had to take me here via private jet."

A hint of envy was in Hinako's purple eyes. "A private jet?" her jaw dropped in disbelief. "And I had to squeeze in economy to get here?!"

"It's your own fault. We told you we were all going to upgrade to first class." Mizuhara flatly replied.

Hinako was never one to be tight with money. But she had the worst luck of picking today out of all days to be stingy. She argued, "It's only an hour or so to get here!"

"Have we checked in?" Bella turned to Donato.

He cheekily laughed in return. "As much as I'd love to have you with me, you'll actually have your own room this time."

"Oh?" there was a mix of surprise and excitement in her voice. In all the occasions that they've attended together, Bella and Donato were practically glued to the hip. It was quite a new feeling for her, knowing that she would be alone for three days. "That's...new."

"So take advantage of your time here. Relax a little." he placed his gentle hand atop hers. "You've been working hard in Italy."

She sighed. "If only I could, but Reo wants me to send him a bunch of documents."

"Reo again?" Hinako was quick to clarify.

"Yes," she groaned. Then, she turned to the coral-haired chef. "That reminds me...Chef Shinomiya, he changed his mind about Shino's."

Donato's lips rounded in surprise. "Oh, how come?"

Just then, Dojima Gin had entered the lobby, rounding up all the chefs. The opening ceremony was about to start, and the alumni were required to assemble backstage. This left Bella little time to get checked in and head over to the ceremony.

"Sorry, I have to check in first," she looked over to Donato and Shinomiya. She grabbed her bag and scurried off to the reception area, not before waving goodbye and saying, "I'll tell you about it later!"

* * *

Shinomiya Kojiro stood along the corridor of Hall A. His arms were crossed, fingers tapping against his skin as he waited for the start of the first task. He pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against and looked out the window. It was a rainy Monday in his hometown. He supposed that while he was around the area, he ought to give his mother a call and drop by the new house he bought her last year.

"I'm here!" he heard the shortness of her breath as he averted his gaze to the hallway.

She came in with her white uniform, hair tied up in a ponytail with a white ribbon, and that same old rose flush across her cheeks whenever she panted for air. But Shinomiya shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts before they could start diverting elsewhere that's inappropriate for a school setting. "Stop running." he clicked his tongue.

Bella stopped and rested her hands on her chest. "Man, that flight really threw me off schedule." she heaved an exhausted breath.

"It hasn't even started yet."

"I know, but I was afraid we'd get off on the wrong foot, _partner._ " she looked up, meeting his gaze, and smirked. "What are we doing today?"

In their time apart, they never really bothered to talk about what they would do for the advancement exam. It was the first time that they would ever be partnered together, and much to his (and his friends') mystery, they've never really seen her cook nor tasted any dish that she made. But the fact that she was under Donato's wing already made him automatically assume she would be quick to catch up to whatever he would throw at her.

"You'll know soon enough. I just need you to observe and follow."

She wiped the sweat off her brow. " _Sì_ , chef."

"Let's go." he said, leading the way. Bella couldn't help but tug the back of his red scarf, which made him turn and glare at her. "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed.

A roguish grin etched on the corner of her lips. "So...did you miss me, chef?"

He turned his head back and teased, "You wish."

 _As expected._ She shook her head and followed his lead.

The noise from Kitchen A died down the minute he stepped in with her. As they took their place in front of the class, a loud voice suddenly greeted them. "Oh, Shinomiya- _shishou!_ " Yukihira greeted. Bella looked around and saw the teenager with fire red hair. _Did he just call him 'master'?_

"Yukihira, back to your counter." He scolded. "And stop calling me that."

There were twenty students in the room, and each would be partnered up for this task. As they stood in front, the two chefs couldn't help but hear the murmurs about the brunette. Questions such as 'who is she?' 'how come we've never seen her before?' 'she looks oddly familiar' and 'she looks so elegant' were thrown around in hushed tones.

Shinomiya cleared his throat and began with the introductions. "As you all know, I'm Shinomiya Kojiro. This is Yamamoto Bella, my sous chef for today."

"Yamamoto Bella?" Yukihira mused.

"Stop parroting me, Yukihira." Shinomiya hissed.

"Today we'll be doing a four-course vegetarian meal. Chef Bella and I will be doing it together and you must complete it in the same amount of time as we do. Any questions?"

The boy with the fire red hair was relentless as he raised his hand. " _Shishou_ , how come she gets called by her first name?"

He really couldn't be blamed for that question. It was pretty much on everybody else's mind. Calling each other by their first names wasn't really the custom in Japan, and although her name may be foreign, Bella did not totally look the part. There were hints of her Italian ancestry with her hazel eyes and brown hair. But the roundness of her eyes, the fairness of her skin, and petite figure said otherwise.

Kojiro was getting impatient with all the questions. He had an exam to administer, and truthfully, he wanted the task to be over as soon as possible. Bella noticed his plight and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yukihira, right?" Bella spoke. "I'm half Italian." she added with a warm smile.

"Oi, just like you, Takumi!" he turned to the blonde-haired boy at the next counter.

"I know what I am, Yukihira." the boy named Takumi said in rebuttal.

"Anyway, you if you still have questions, you can ask them after the exam, alright?" Bella chimed in the jovial conversation.

"Fine, fine," he waved them all off as he pulled the white fabric off his forearm. His gaze shifted to the bashful looking blue-haired girl beside him and asked, "You ready, Tadokoro?"

Once the class settled down, Shinomiya began with the task at hand. Bella stood back, anticipating his every move. Donato once warned her that Shinomiya wasn't the type to give instructions while cooking, unlike them, who usually chatted away while in the auberge. She also noticed it when she walked in his kitchen the night Reo visited Shino's. She adapted after he gave her a few nods and glances, coaxing her on what to do.

It didn't take long for them to finish. Before the students was a four-course meal that didn't look the slightest vegetarian. As Shinomiya put the final plate down, he said, "I forgot to tell you. The essence of this challenge is to provide a vegetarian meal that appeals to carnivorous eaters." he crossed his arms over his chest and pushed up his glasses. "Everything must be moulded exceptionally well to look like meat. Begin."

The two chefs sat back and waited. In the middle of the challenge, Bella couldn't help but stand and grab the amuse-bouche that they created. She grabbed one bite of the baked polenta and popped it in her mouth. He glanced at her and waited for a reaction. Her face brightened and her lips curled up into a smile as she felt the flavours oozing in her mouth.

But then, his amusement of watching her was put to a halt when the sound of a tin container dropped to the floor, splattering the cornmeal almost everywhere. The student who was at fault looked up nervously as some of her classmates stopped to notice what had happened. Without hesitation, Shinomiya instructed, "Unless your partner can continue by himself, you both can leave now."

Bella almost choked on her next bite. "Chef," she called, swallowing hard. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Do you think I'm joking?" he caught her gaze. Shinomiya then stood up and walked towards the student at fault. "Your clumsiness has caused the entire class to slow down their task, including your partner's progress."

"Let her clean up and continue." Bella stood up and protested.

"Chef Bella," his tone was of warning. "How can she continue? There are no more ingredients."

Her gaze shifted to the student covered in cornmeal. She stood there, hunched over and trembling. A frightened stare was on her face as she was caught in between cleaning up and packing her things. Likewise, the boy she was partnered with looked retreated from behind the counter.

She suddenly felt her chest swell. The situation was all too familiar. This was her a few years ago in Italy. And she still might as well be in that same old situation, if Donato didn't give her a chance to prove herself. Pulling herself up, she spoke, "I'm sure the stockroom has more."

He waved her off and replied, "By the time they get it, everyone else would have already lined up for grading. There's no point."

She raised a brow to him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Clean up and continue," she instructed the student. "Hurry up and go to the stockroom after."

He gritted his teeth and called her out. "Bella."

"Chef Shinomiya." she responded with an equal intensity in her voice.

The two chefs were starting to glare at each other from across the room. Consequently, the students started to exchange words about it in hushed tones.

"A word." he said as he walked up front and grabbed her by the forearm, leading her out of the kitchen.

"Relax, Chef...geez," she groaned the second the doors closed behind them. "I don't understand why this is such a huge deal."

"I don't approve of you talking back at me in front of the students."

She sighed. "I'm sorry, chef, but I don't approve of your brash judgement."

His brows knit together and he tilted his chin up, gazing down on her. "Were you not listening to the things I was saying?"

"Of course I was. But accidents happen all the time. Nobody is perfect." she reasoned out.

"You're encouraging mediocrity then?"

"What? I never said such a thing!" her mouth parted in shock at his assumptions.

He took a step towards her. "My kitchen has no room for clumsy chefs."

"We are _not_ in Shino's."

"Nor are we in Tesoro." he countered.

She was slowly losing patience as she clenched her fist. "So, this is _our_ kitchen, and I have much say here in making the rules as you do. Give the student a chance to finish the task."

"Encouraging this kind of behaviour is what makes you such a second rate chef."

She took in a sharp breath and moved her arms over her chest. "A second rate chef who saved your business."

Silence loomed across the hall and the air around them had gone incredibly thick. Bella cocked an eyebrow, ready for another one of his comebacks. But Shinomiya noticed how her eyes had suddenly turned cold as she stared back at him. It was a look that he had never seen before. "Enough of this." he said in frustration and walked back into the room, leaving her to follow.

When they walked back in, he noticed that the space had already been cleaned up and the students were back to working with a fresh sack of cornmeal. He turned to the brunette with a displeased expression plastered on his face. "Well, congratulations, you bought them time."

She ignored him and simply looked away.

Minutes later, the chefs started tasting the dishes. Being head chef, Shinomiya took charge of the final task. Although she wasn't really up to eating, Bella regained her formality and sucked it up anyway. Not like her decision would change the head chef's mind, but she had to fulfil a responsibility.

The final pair were the two students who had the spilling incident earlier. Bella peered over their dish, which seemed to be fine from her stand point. "Chef Bella," Shinomiya suddenly called her attention.

"Yes, chef?"

His face was emotionless as he leaned his chin against his palm on the arm chair. "You will decide if this dish will pass or not."

She turned to him. "Sorry, what?" she clarified, but he didn't bother to repeat his instruction. Bella glanced at the students, and in that instance, she saw both of their faces beaming and full of hope. Then, she turned to him once again and then she had an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. _What are you getting at?_

" _Sì_ , Chef." she answered and took a fork.

Bella found her answer without even making it to the main course. The amuse-bouche itself was terrible, and by the time she willed herself to taste the remaining three courses, she knew there was no way the dish would pass high standards. Then it dawned on her...he knew it beforehand. That's why he wanted her to taste it and make the decision.

"Any day now, chef." He said in distaste.

"You're fired."

Naturally, the two students were in shock. It made it even more obvious for Bella why Shinomiya allowed her to make the decision. As the the sous chef placed the fork back on the tray, the feeble girl asked, "But...why?"

She shook her head. "The amuse-bouche lacked in taste. The texture of your main course was completely stale. Finally, the last two courses were just obviously crammed into the last few minutes of the exam."

The other student spoke, "But it's because we ran out of time getting the ingredients in the stock room. We had to do-over everything."

"I gave you another chance, not an extension. Whatever time you had left was up to you to use it wisely." she explained.

As the students cleared the room, Bella released a sigh of exhaustion. She began thinking that she was probably way in over her head. Administering an exam looked pretty easy at first, but the actual waiting game for everyone to finish and to turn down these students was a completely new experience.

"Well, you're tougher than I thought." Shinomiya commented as he stood up from his seat. He loosened the scarf around his neck, relaxing himself. "I thought I would have to give you a talking if you would have let those two pass."

"Huh," she breathed out, bristling over his judgement. She felt incredibly belittled. "Did you honestly expect me to be soft? I give chances, but I'm fair with my considerations."

He remained silent as she proceeded to exit the room. But just before stepping out, she turned to him and said, "I'll email you Reo's proposal for Shino's. It will probably be a lot better if you handled the situation yourself, instead of seeking advice from a second-rate chef like me."

* * *

That night, Bella opted out of dinner with the excuse that she was just too jet-lagged. It was partly true, but the other half of her reason was that she just didn't have that much energy to ignore the coral-haired chef, nor was she ready to act normal after the insults he hurled at her earlier. A good night's sleep would give her a clearer perspective for tomorrow.

She had already soaked in a bubble bath and slipped into her favourite silk nightgown. After that much needed pamper session, she couldn't help but pick up her laptop and get to work on those documents that Reo was asking for. Not too long after, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, getting up and wrapping herself with a robe.

"Room service!"

"...huh?"

She headed for the door and poked her head out. "I didn't order room service. You must have the wrong room."

"Yamamoto Bella, yes?" the staff clarified.

She pursed her lips for a second, still feeling confused. "Yes, but I -" she replied, but realization dawned on her that this was probably the work of her boss. He never could help but worry about her all the time. Swinging the door open, she made way for him to come inside. "Wow, that's a lot of food." Her eyes widened at the cart.

"I didn't know what you wanted." Shinomiya appeared at the doorway.

"Chef Shinomiya…" she murmured. Once the two of them were left alone in the room, the tone of her voice immediately shifted. She crossed her arms over her chest. "What is this, chef?"

"You missed dinner." he flatly pointed out.

"Yes, but -"

"And this is for earlier." he cut in.

"Oh," her lips rounded in realization. _Was he sorry?_

Shinomiya turned to leave without saying anything more. He was never really good with apologies, and he was a man of action instead of using words. But he really was sorry. After all, all that Bella did for him was help him out with Shino's. He just can't help but keep the same demeanour as he always had in his kitchen, even though he was sharing it with someone else.

"Wait, Shinomiya -" she blurted out.

"What is it?" he turned, curious as to what she had to say.

Her fingers toyed with the hemline of her robe. "Stay for dinner."

"I already ate."

Something bubbled inside her, and she couldn't understand what exactly she wanted from him. She was still pissed off, but at the same time, it was such a touching gesture. "Then just stay." she requested. He arched an eyebrow towards her suggestion. "I have some things to discuss about Reo and Shino's." she quickly added, setting his assumptions aside.

The two of them sat across each other. "Did you make these?" she asked, poking a fork at one of the dishes.

"I wouldn't go that far."

"A simple 'no' would have sufficed." she retorted, bringing the food to her mouth. Instantly, her face brightened at the taste. Before she knew it, she was actually quaffing down most of the items on the tray. She was a lot more hungry than she thought.

"Woah, slow down," he chided. "It's not like we're sharing."

She narrowed her eyes at him and continued with another bite, making sure to follow his order. "Can you munch on or at least drink something? It's just awkward having you watch me eat."

"Fine," he sighed, pouring himself a cup of tea. "Did you intend to starve up here just for the sake of avoiding me?"

"Who said I was avoiding you?"

He stared intently at her. "Were you not?"

"...no."

"You know, you're good at flattery, but you're a terrible liar." he scoffed.

She was a little taken aback by that comment. Sitting up a little higher, she cleared her throat and said, "Not all your assumptions about me are right."

"No," he answered with an austerity. "But you have all these faces that you make."

"What do you mean?" her brows furrowed in confusion.

"You always have this obvious blink when you're covering up the truth."

Inadvertently, Bella blinked right after his observation. Shinomiya smirked and took a quick sip of his tea. "You just did it again." he pointed out.

"I'm not covering up anything!"

He placed the cup down and leaned in. Their faces were merely inches apart and his hot breath tantalized her dry lips. "So, you're not avoiding me?"

"No," she blinked. _Damn it._ "I-I'm not avoiding you."

He chuckled and leaned back. "Right…"

She looked down, focusing on the dish in front of her as she pondered. It was nice of him to send her dinner, and the fact that he noticed that she hadn't eaten yet was quite surprising. He was right...she was avoiding him. She contemplated on how brash he was earlier and how considerate he was being now. _It's like he knows who I am, but doesn't at the same time._

"Thank...you." she carefully voiced out as she looked up and gave him a small smile.

He simply nodded his head to acknowledge. There were two things at the back of Kojiro's head at that time: First was that thing about Reo and Shino's. Second was how he had missed the scent of her shampoo. When he leaned in, he got a whiff of that strawberry scent which had been embedded in his head ever since that night in Roppongi. Here he was again finding himself in a familiar spot as two weeks ago: caught in the middle of wanting to do work and kiss her.

"So, I promised you I'd talk about Reo," she began, ending his dilemma. "I kind of sold him on the idea of investing in Shino's. But the catch is, he wants to invest in the one in France instead of Tokyo."

"Why is that?"

"He's expanding his global reach. Shino's in France seemed like one of the good places to start." she explained.

"I see," he was in thought. "Did you say that you sold him on the idea?"

She nodded her head in reply. "I did."

"Why did you try again?" he asked, remembering how quick Reo was to turn him down.

Bella carefully placed the fork down and wiped the corners of her lips. "Well, why not? I mean, I promised you I would help out the first time, right?"

He was a little bit surprised that she went beyond what was demanded of her. They had already secured enough sponsors the last time, but having Hideyuki Reo on board would speed up the process of Shino's expansion. He'd be able to achieve those three stars in no time. "Yeah, I guess I just didn't think he would change his mind after the insults that asshole threw at me the last time."

She shrugged. "Well, he's just like that. That's what makes him such a difficult person to please. But when you get on his good side, the rewards are worth it."

"Don't tell me I have to jump through hoops just to please this guy."

"This is where I come in," she said with a smile. "I'll help you. That is, of course, if you'll let me."

He paused for a bit. "What's the catch?"

Her brows furrowed at his words. "No catch, and why would there be one?"

"Did Donato put you up to this?"

"No..." she shook her head fervently. "Just me."

He locked his eyes on hers, waiting for her to blink. But this time, there was no sign of hesitation. Were her intentions really just for mere altruism? _I wonder._ "You're not in love with me already, are you?"

" _Cazzo,_ chef!" She burst out laughing. "Not this again. Come on!" she added, trying to stifle her laughter. She noticed his pressing look on her. "Two weeks gone, and you've already lost trust in me being just plain old nice?"

"Fine," he said, ending the discussion. "Thank you for taking the lead in this."

The ends of her lips stretched into an even wider smile. "It's been a while since you've used those magic words on me."

"Well, don't get used to it."

She put her arms up in surrender. "I know, I know. Wouldn't want to tarnish your intense reputation now, would we?"

Something about Bella's last words stirred the next few minutes of awkward silence. The situation gave them a sense of déjà vu. It was somewhat like the night that they first met. Now that the first situation was off the table, Shinomiya had been dying to get the second thought off his chest. But he was just too damn proud to admit that he was going crazy for that hint of strawberry in her hair. At least, not until he would get a sign that she wanted him as bad as he did.

He finally stood up. "Well, I should go."

"Oh, but -" Bella quickly reacted, standing up as well. But she found herself equally tongue tied. What happened in those two weeks? Everything was going so well before she left. There was nothing wrong with the whole friends with benefits situation before. So, what on earth was pulling her back? There was this illogical fear of knowing whether or not he had already found someone new to entertain him while she was gone.

"Yes?" he said, turning to her.

She chewed on her bottom lip as she looked up into his eyes. "It's nothing." she replied, moving to bite down her tongue instead to regain composure. "I guess...thank you again for dinner."

Shinomiya smirked. "Is that all?" he asked, taking a step closer.

"Hm?" her voice hitched, seeing him close the gap between them. Her heartbeat thrummed inside her chest as he inched closer and closer. "Y-yes, Chef."

He sighed. "You know, you make this certain face when you want to be kissed."

"What?" she croaked as her cheeks turned red at his statement. "Why would you think that?"

"So, you _don't_ want me to kiss you?"

"And if I say no?" she questioned, but her eyes gave it all away.

Kojiro lifted her chin with his hand while the other slithered around her waist. He gazed at her intently, eyes turning dark with desire. _What happened in those two weeks?_ He too was starting to wonder why they danced around the fact that they badly wanted each other. Why now? Agreeing to a casual commitment was supposed to free them of that.

His thumb parted her lips as he spoke, "Like I said, you're a terrible liar."


	10. Trouble

A/N: Hi readers! I've been writing long-ass chapters lately, so I thought I'd update with a short but eventful one today. I hope you guys like it. :) More to come, and thank you so much for reading and following this story. I'm still surprised so many people read this daily, especially since its an OC involved story. _Grazie._

* * *

Chapter 10: Trouble

"Say sorry first," were the first three words out of her lips as Kojiro drew them open. Her voice quivered along with her request.

His brows knit together in confusion, but instead of apologizing, he leaned in and planted a kiss on the crook of her neck. She winced in pleasure, biting her lip down to stop herself from moaning as he continued to trail kisses from the length of her neck to the edge of her collarbone. Her hands quickly held on to his arms, gripping them and attempting to pry him away from her.

"Say sorry." she repeated firmly this time, slightly pushing him away.

"I don't do apologies." he huffed. "Why do you think I sent you food up here?"

"So...you _are_ sorry for what you said?"

Shinomiya gave her an incredulous look and sighed. He was always impatient, especially when dealing with sensitive matters. Explaining his emotions were one of the things that agitated him the most. "Why do you think I went up here too?"

"Huh," she pondered. _Because of sex?_ She bit her tongue from saying her thoughts out loud. Although she kept passing it off as a joke, she needed to know. She wanted so badly to find out. "Because you...missed me?" she asked again, a coy smile playing on the edge of her lips.

He smirked and took a step closer. Shinomiya arched a brow to her as his hand reached the side of her waist. His fingers traced the outline of her curves through her silk robe. Two can play that game.

"And if I don't?" he said, playfulness wielding in the tone of his voice.

"Playing the same guessing game with me, Chef?" Bella chuckled. "Unlike you, I don't read people's faces. So…" she trailed off, taking a step back. "You're gonna have to tell me upfront."

"I hate your stupid games," he flatly replied, pulling her back in. He placed his hands in a covetous hold against her waist. His amber eyes locked on hers, and she found herself drowning in his gaze. "But the two weeks were boring without them."

"Shinomiya…" she muttered, feeling the heat of their bodies as she leaned against his chest. Although she didn't exactly get what she was hoping to hear, the context of his words were clear. She parted her lips and closed them back up, like a fish out of water. _I've...missed you._

"Well?"

But somehow, she too, could not get those words out. She tiptoed to meet his lips with hers. His arms slid further down, tightening his hold on her frame. It seemed as if he had been yearning for that warmth for quite some time. In that moment, there was an unusual pounding in his chest as he felt her part his lips to slide her tongue inside him.

 _Damn it._ Shinomiya cursed in his mind as he picked her up and walked with her to the bed. The friction of their skin amplified his heated desire to have her. They stumbled, his arms leaning against the sides of her head as he started to nip and suck on her neck. "Chef, it-it tickles!" she couldn't help but say in between giggles. A smile played on the corner of his lips, finding himself amused at the sound of her laughter. "Stop, Shino...miya!"

As they rolled and fought each other on the sheets, there was a moment when they just needed to stop and come up for air. Two weeks ago, all the games and teasing would be quite usual for their late night rendezvous. But as he brushed off a few strands of hair away from her face, Bella was surprised at the new found sensation swelling in her chest. In that second, she was certain she was in trouble. "Chef?" she gasped, surprised by his gesture.

He stopped and quickly drew his hand away, realizing what he had done. Averting his gaze, he looked down and tried to hide the slight flush that was creeping on his cheeks. Suddenly, they found themselves in new territory. For the first time, they were both in bed, but none of them knew what to do next.

Shinomiya pulled himself away and sat up while she remained flat on the sheets, looking up to the ceiling. _No..._ she scolded herself, feeling a tug in her chest. Bella had never wanted him so badly until now. But something was holding her back, and he seemed to have the same dilemma. She shut her eyes tightly and willed herself to go back to the way things were.

In an event to divert his attention, she placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "You never did bother to send me nudes."

Feeling temporary relief, he turned and unknotted her robe. "I said you first."

They kept their eyes locked on each other as he pushed her back down the mattress. She discarded his glasses and set it aside. Their eyes were both clear as day, seeing how badly they needed each other. He took her lips, enveloping them in hot kisses. His hands were sliding up her thighs as he moved his mouth back to her neck. She gasped and arched her back, blissful at his work. For a second, she lost herself.

"I've...missed you," she moaned without thinking. Her body froze and her eyes widened right after. _Shit!_

She felt his weight over her body as he paused upon hearing those words. Chest to chest, Shinomiya could feel the rapid beating of her heart. Ridding themselves of awkward silence, he pushed himself up and cupped her chin. His eyes narrowed as he gazed at her disheveled form beneath him. Likewise, she looked up at him like a deer caught in headlights.

"Are you -"

"NO!" she yelled frantically, attempting to push him away. "I'm not, okay? I'm not falling in lo -"

He brusquely removed her wrist from his chest and pinned her down. She flinched and looked away. Never had she felt so desperate to hide her emotions until now.

Feeling conflicted, all he could manage to do was nudge her chin to force her to look at him. And as they stared at each other in that continued awkward silence, the only thing that saved them was a knock on the door.

"Isabella?" the heavily accented voice of Donato called from the other side of the door.

Immediately, they jumped away from each other and straightened themselves up. Making her way to the door, she glanced at him one more time before welcoming him in. " _Buonasera_ ," she greeted with a smile.

Donato stood agape seeing Shinomiya a few feet away behind her. "Oh…Shinomiya?"

"Donato," he greeted, and placed a hand on Bella's shoulder. "I'll read through Reo's documents. Thanks." he told her in the most diplomatic way that he could before walking out.

"Leaving so soon, Shinomiya?" the blonde chef asked, but the Pluspol chef simply waved his hand off as he made his way to the elevator.

After being left alone, Bella snapped out of her thoughts and let him in. "I'm sorry I missed dinner," she apologized, resting her arms over her chest.

"Yes...I was just checking up on you," his eyes averted to the cart of plates. "Room service?" He questioned with a smile, careful not to sound so accusing despite his gut feel about the situation.

"Yes," she breathed out reluctantly, "Chef Shinomiya and I had an argument earlier. I guess this was his way to apologize."

He paused before speaking, "Yes, I heard about the incident from the other students."

She sighed in relief. "Tea?"

" _Sì, grazie._ "

Donato watched her from a distance as she carefully prepared the tea. He wanted to control himself from prying in the situation, but the second he saw the lining of her robe droop from her neck, he could not longer hold it in.

"Bella, how long has this been going on?" He asked cautiously, making his way to her.

She pursed her lips and clicked her tongue quietly. "How long is what, Chef Donato?" She replied, turning to him.

He reached out and set his eyes on her freshly marred skin. "This..." He started, carefully running his thumb on the purple blotch on the crook of her neck. "is from Shinomiya, is it not?"


	11. The Void

Chapter 11: The Void

As the elevator doors closed, Shinomiya Kojiro slipped his hands in his pockets and grunted in annoyance. He vividly remembered the outline of her lips as she pursed them together, looking completely regretful of the words she just said. But the way he felt about those words, however, felt like a bad love song stuck in his head. The more her voice reverberated in his mind, the more he grew accustomed of the need to hear it over and over again.

"That woman…" he clicked his tongue in ire. He was sure that he needed a glass of wine to clear his thoughts tonight.

On the other hand, Bella found herself in the most awkward and undesirable situation. Donato sat across her, hearing her tell him all about the whole "friends with benefits" setup she had with Shinomiya. He handled it with utmost care, careful not to react so violently over everything that has happened so far. The last thing he wanted to do, what he _ever_ wanted to do was to scold her about her life choices.

"How long have you known?" She asked.

"For a while now...but I wasn't sure about it."

"How did you find out?"

"Lucky guess," he chuckled. "But, I've always had a feeling since the night the two of you met."

"I'm sorry." she sadly whispered as she swirled her fingertips on the rim of her tea cup.

"For what?" he asked with concern, seeing the sadness in her eyes.

"I...I've been keeping it from you for the longest time."

He sighed and gave her a gentle smile. " _Ma_ , Isabella, my only concern is your happiness. The question is, are you happy right now?"

Was she? Two weeks ago, probably when they were both in a state of bliss. But now that there was sweating, rapid hearts beating, and second-guessing...she had to re-evaluate her disposition. "I'm fine, Chef Donato."

"I'm not asking if you're fine. I know you are and you always will be. I'm asking if this is what makes you happy right now." he elucidated. But she merely looked back down to her now empty cup of tea in reply. "You've developed feelings for him…" he stated.

"I -" she almost protested. But she shut her mouth once she realized that she can't even admit it to herself. "I...missed him."

It was clear to him that she was confused. It was quite an unusual situation, seeing as Bella was always better at considering people's emotions. But he acknowledge how difficult it was for her, especially since love and relationships had taken the backseat in her life. Being her mentor and most of all, friend, he tried his best to help her figure things out. "The same way you miss me? Or Ruth? Or Hinako? The staff at Tesoro?"

She shook her head. "No, it's…" she bit her lower lip in hesitation. "It's like...I couldn't wait to see him, and I hate myself for messing it up because of my stupid feelings."

"No," he immediately scolded. "Do _not_ be sorry for feeling the way you feel about him."

But she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself. She buried her face in her hands and groaned, "I'm just gonna move on from this."

"What do you mean?"

She looked up, took in a sharp breath and sat up straight. "I'm going to let this go. I'm done with this."

"Bella," he tried to console her.

"What was I thinking, getting involved like this?" she shook her disapprovingly. "But no matter, I'll move on from this. I always do."

Donato looked at her with concern. Here she was again, running away. He hadn't even gotten to giving her advice, and yet, here she was, practically bolting through the door to get away from catching even more feelings. "Is that what you really want to do?" he tried to sound supportive, just enough to give her more time to assess her feelings about it.

She sighed, "It's the only thing I can do."

* * *

On the second day of the advancement exam, Bella entered the kitchen at 7:45 in the morning with two cups of coffee. It was quiet, and almost empty, except for Kojiro who was scrolling through his phone. She placed one cup on the counter and pushed it to him before sitting on the other end quietly.

He stared at the cup and then to her. "What's this?"

"Un cafe serre," she simply replied, taking a sip of her own cup. "It's gonna be a long day."

Indeed it would be. The morning was the second cooking challenge, wherein they would have to choose only one pair to compete for the third day. The afternoon was mentoring the chosen pair in preparation for the final bout.

" _Merci_ ," he said, taking a sip.

" _Prego_."

Two languages - but it was completely understandable for both of them. Their feelings, however, were lost in translation.

It didn't take long for the students to start showing up. It was a relief for both of them, since being alone together was beginning to be uncomfortable. "Bella," Shinomiya called. She quietly looked at him and anticipated what he had to say. "Your dish today." he instructed.

"My dish?" she questioned.

"Did I stutter?" he spat.

"But you're head chef."

"Your dish." he firmly stated, trying to end all arguments.

She was confused as to why he would turn over the full responsibility to her. But not being in the mood to question his choices, she nodded her head and decided to just go with it. "With your support?" she wanted to make sure.

"Obviously."

She whipped out the white ribbon from her pocket and effortlessly put her hair up. Bella was never one to care about having an audience. Being around people with her job description and all, she was so used to have all eyes on her. However, this time, she felt an insane amount of pressure since the only pair of eyes that mattered to her was his.

When the time of judgement came, Shinomiya and Bella concluded with choosing Yukihira and Tadokoro to compete for the final bout. It came as no surprise to Shinomiya that his two mentees would be the one to produce the best rendition of the dish in their class, even beating the Aldini siblings, considering that they were Italian and Bella's specialty was Italian cuisine.

"I need to talk to you," she spoke, wiping her hands with a clean towel. They were done for the morning, and it was a little over lunch time when they were left alone in the kitchen. Shinomiya turned to her with a bemused expression on his face. "I need you to go through with me some information about Shino's France." she explained, smoothing her untied locks in place.

"When do you need it?" he asked, surprised at how much of a workaholic she can be. The day wasn't even over yet, and she was already thinking about other responsibilities.

She checked the time and sighed. "Well, it's lunch time already. So, maybe later. Basically, any time within the day. I just want to get the information to Reo as soon as possible. He isn't really the most patient person."

"After the afternoon session."

"Alright, let's just meet at the lounge." she said, clearing up the counter.

Her reply caught him a little off guard. "The lounge?"

She turned to him. "Yes, the one in the main lobby. Near the reception area?"

He wasn't an idiot. He knew where the lounge was. The real question was why there? Why not in his room or hers?

"I know where it is," he clicked his tongue. "Why not my room instead?"

"Oh," her mouth rounded. She face the sink and continued cleaning up. The metal couldn't get any shinier with all her wiping, in attempt to stall the situation. "I just think it's more productive that way."

Lies.

"You're not avoiding me, are you?"

"Of course not."

Bullshit.

She suddenly felt his fingertips cupping the edge of her chin. He nudged her to face him, and he was greeted with wide, misty eyes. "You're avoiding me."

With a quick sweep of her hand, she rid herself of his touch. "How can I be avoiding you, when I'm the one setting up a meeting with you later?"

True, but she was being highly technical about it. Shinomiya was starting to get agitated. "You're being awfully defensive."

"Shinomiya," she spat, slowly losing her cool. She already had a headache from the lack of sleep from replaying last night over and over her head. "I mean, _Chef Shinomiya_ , I just think its better to meet in the lounge."

"No, we're meeting in my room." he firmly countered.

She clenched her fist in frustration. "No, Chef. We're meeting in the lounge."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't have all day to argue about this, Bella. We're meeting in my room. That's final."

"I'm not going to show up!"

There was silence.

"What is up with you?" he groaned. Then he noticed how her body froze as she kept her eyes on him. He took a step forward and placed his hand over her arm. She nearly winced at his touch. "Is this about what you said last night?"

She looked up and met his eyes. So, he _did_ hear it. "Yes," she breathed out reluctantly, which earned his silence in return. "I…" she stammered, her hands moving to animate her emotions, as she struggled to get them out. "I can't be in a room with a bed with you anymore."

He arched a brow towards her. "Why not?"

She clenched her fist, feeling frustrated at herself for being stuck for words.

His hand moved from her arm to her chin, and he drew her to him, meeting her lips. It was the most unusual feeling, a painful yet yearning sensation altogether, but they couldn't help themselves. They both knew they would rather have this confusing headache than be without it. But something that Donato said last night echoed in Bella's head.

Does it make you happy?

She pulled away and leaned against the counter, panting for air. "I- I can't." she said almost pleadingly. Bella straightened herself and moved away. But before she could take another step away from him, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

As held her waist, he asked, "Are you falling in love with me?"

"I...don't know."

But that's the thing about not knowing. There's a high chance that it might be a yes, more so than a no. He saw the way she looked at him, eyes pleading for another kiss. But there was also something he'd never seen before, confusion and desperation to give this whole thing a name.

"Please...don't ask me again." she whispered.

It surprised him to see how helpless she was. In her waking moments, she had always been so tenacious and focused. But there was always that certain charm to finding her needing his help. It was even the first time Shinomiya realized he could potentially fall in love with her.

She placed her hands on his chest and slowly made a gap in between them. "Work comes first," she reminded him. "The lounge, Chef. Please."

As she made her way out the door, she stopped at the sight of a girl with midnight blue hair. "...Tadokoro?" her brows knit together as the girl shuddered with horror. "What are you...and Yukihira."

How long had they been standing there?

"Ah...Chef Bella, sorry, we came back for my wrap." Yukihira awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I had no idea you and Shinomiya were…" he trailed off, but stopped the second that Megumi forcefully tugged the sleeve of his diner uniform to shut him up.

Bella gave them a tight-lipped smile. "It's fine. If you'll excuse me." she replied and made her way out of Kitchen A. Whatever Yukihira had to say about them was now none of her concern.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Okay, so this chapter was supposed to be longer...but I feel like I just needed to update already. The thing that stopped me from writing this longer was the news that...SHOKUGEKI IS OVER?! LIKE WTF IS THAT?! I'm so sad - _grieving_ about this news! How could they end the manga already? Yeah, I know there's like 3 more limited chapters coming out soon...but, CHAPTERS?! Not even an entire volume or something? This made me so sad! How do you guys feel about this?


	12. The Unexpected Goodbye

_Author's Note:_ Dear Readers, it took me forever to update. I've re-written this chapter six times (yes, I counted the number of docs I made lol) then came up with this one. I hope I did justice to the characters and the OC development so far. Thank you for your constant support, and welcome to the new followers! Thanks for reading and I hope you can keep supporting the upcoming chapters. :)

 _P.S. I just read the latest chapter of the manga, Le Dessert and I realize that this story is veered away from the manga situation. However, this is a fan fic after all. :)_

* * *

Chapter 12: The Unexpected Goodbye

With anything in life, Bella learned it the hard way that its always best to keep mind over matter. However, lately, she couldn't even understand why the littlest things about Shinomiya mattered so much to her.

"Shit…" she whispered.

As she bit her thumb in contemplation, she felt like she was slowly losing her mind. Her heart would skip a beat every time she remembered their last kiss. It bothered her so much because she knew she had to stop yearning for it. But no matter how hard she tried to resist, the realization that she was falling in love with him tortured her because she wanted more.

More kisses. More time together. More Shinomiya.

The door slid open and she turned to see the coral-haired chef surprised to see her back so early in Kitchen A. "You're early…" he commented.

She felt her cheeks turn hot. "So are you."

Then she broke a sweat when he walked into the room. It all felt too familiar, when Bella realized that it was the same reaction she had every time she saw Shinomiya back in high school. It made her unreasonably nervous, at a loss for words, and completely flustered.

They say that it doesn't take a lot of effort to remember your first crush. With Bella, the resurfacing of old feelings further ignited the way she looked at him now that there was so much more history.

"Look," she breathed out. Clenching her fists together, she was determined to keep at it with the whole mind over matter issue. "I'm sorry about earlier."

Shinomiya smirked in satisfaction. He was glad that things were starting to turn around. Truthfully, their little argument caused him quite a headache over lunch time, and he couldn't make up his mind whether to talk to her first or wait and see what was going to happen. He was 80% leaning towards making the first move. But his pride seemed to slow him down and convince him that it wasn't his problem, and he should care less about it.

"Glad you changed your mind." he said.

"Oh, I'm not changing my mind, Chef. I was serious when I said I don't want to be in a bedroom with you."

He pushed his glasses up. "And I was serious when I told you to meet me in my room."

Bella groaned. She couldn't believe that he wouldn't back down over such a trivial condition. "The only reason I'm meeting you tonight is to work on your sponsorship." she firmly stated.

U̶n̶s̶p̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶R̶u̶l̶e̶ ̶#̶1̶:̶ ̶N̶o̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶c̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶.̶

A few seconds of silence passed. Shinomiya was taken aback with the firmness of her words. Frankly speaking, it was starting to sound a little bit offensive. He was arguing over the venue because at the back of his mind, he was beginning to have expectations. Bella had always come over his place, worked a little, and then they would have their own private time. It was an unspoken and expected routine. It seemed to him that she just wasn't interested in him anymore.

"Then it's best if we don't work on anything at all," he countered. His eyes turned cold. "Let's stop tolerating each other just because of that."

 _What?_ Bella could hardly believe what she was hearing. "I don't understand -"

"Stop working on that damn sponsorship," he snapped. "If you're going to give me a headache about it, I'd rather have you scrap the idea altogether. I'm not interested."

There was a clear look of hurt in Bella's eyes. " _I'm_ giving you a headache?"

He stood his ground and remained silent, crossing his arms over his chest. Unexpectedly, Bella felt her eyes started to sting. With every fiber of her being, she fought the tears that were forming out of frustration. She was jet lagged, exhausted, and confused by everything.

"We've been working on this for months, Chef. You can't suddenly pull out of this." she said, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Its my restaurant, isn't it?"

Bella was at a loss for words. She couldn't fathom how things got to this point. But then again, she knew that she was asking for it the moment she told him that they'd stay out of the bedroom. At the back of her mind, she expected more from him. She was already at that point wherein she wished he would want her as much as she wanted him. However, she was determined to not be the first to admit it.

"Are you sure?" she asked. She clenched a fist, hoping he would take it all back.

"I'm sure."

There couldn't be a more perfect time for Yukihira and Tadokoro to swoop in. The two students walked in for their afternoon mentoring session in preparation for the final bout of the advancement exam. But just like how they saw their two senpais earlier that day, they too were greeted with the same thick air in Kitchen A.

* * *

Later that night, the alumni gathered in the Great Hall for dinner.

"What's this I hear, Shinomiya? You and Bella?" Dojima Gin suddenly spoke. A knowing grin was on his lips as he turned to the coral-haired chef. "So, you finally took my advice on women."

Shinomiya was not a stranger to gossip. Countless times, there had been rumors about him in every website, newspaper, or magazine both in France and Japan. The reasons for it, though, were more professional than it was vulgar.

 _Shinomiya Kojiro ties up with famous patisserie_

 _Shino's Paris to open a new branch?!_

 _Shinomiya Kojiro to guest star in Hell's Kitchen_

Never in his life had a rumor spread about his personal life - that is, until today.

Shinomiya grumbled something unintelligent and crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you talking about, Dojima?"

"The students are talking about it. Word has it you two were seen in the kitchen…now, I have no rules against instructors dating each other, but keep it PG when there are students, okay?"

"We are _not_ dating."

"Oh? So, it's untrue?"

His brows knit together, thinking of who to blame. Of course, it would be the only two people who were in the kitchen - his annoying mentee, Yukihira and that _noruma_ , Tadokoro. It turns out, the halls of the Totsuki International Resort - Fukuoka were not big enough. Nakiri Alice was easily able to overhear his mentees' conversation and spread the news like wildfire. He also couldn't help but wonder where the other subject of the controversy was. Why isn't Bella at the dinner table?

Donato must have seen Shinomiya staring at the empty seat next to him. He suddenly cleared his throat and announced, "Bella's running a little late. She's just finishing up some paperwork."

Hinako placed a hand on her cheek and shook her head in distaste. "I had no idea you were so extreme, Donato. You're making Bella work too hard!"

The blond's eyes narrowed and he shrugged. "It's not me, Hinako. She's been working hard on a personal project all on her own for months now."

Shinomiya couldn't help but assume that it was his sponsorship that she was working on. _Nonsense,_ he thought. He already told her to stop working on it. Regardless, he felt a pang of guilt knowing that even Donato knew the amount of effort she put into it. In the end, he just asked her to throw everything out the window without even resolving their biggest issue of all - what was _really_ going on between the two of them?

"So, back to the rumor though…" Mizuhara turned to the coral-haired chef. "What _were_ you two doing in the kitchen?"

"Nothing." Shinomiya flatly replied.

"How can it be nothing when all the students are talking about it? There must be _something_." Hinako pressed, which earned her a rough smack on the head from Shinomiya.

"Regardless, I would actually be glad if you guys would give time for other things...like dating, for instance." Dojima Gin spoke. The rest of the alumni turned to him blankly, awaiting for him to give further explanation. "You see, it's so easy for us chefs to be consumed by our work. But isolating ourselves from others just restricts us from gaining inspiration to move forward and be better at what we do." He continued further by stating, "Remember, love is the ultimate inspiration."

Once again, there was silence at the dinner table. Mizuhara, not being one for touchy-feely topics cleared her throat and said, "Yeah, so can someone please pass the sake…"

Bella entered the dining hall in a rush. "I'm so sorry I'm late!" she panted as Donato pulled the chair out for her.

"Everything alright?" Sekimori asked.

She nodded her head in reply. "Everything's fine…" she trailed off, taking a quick, cold glance at the coral-haired chef. "Just perfect."

"What were you guys talking about? Everyone seemed a little quiet when I got here." she asked.

"Dojima was just giving us a lecture on love." Mizuhara answered, almost looking sick to her stomach.

"Oh…is that so?" she reacted quietly. Tonight was not the night she wanted to talk about such a topic.

"I was just telling everyone that love inspires us all to be better at what we do." Dojima beamed. Bella smiled politely in return. She didn't really have much to say about it, after all, she was in the middle of trying to extinguish the possibility of it in her current situation. "Any thoughts, Chef Yamamoto?"

She pointed to herself in disbelief. "Me? Well, not really. I think if anyone would have a say about it, it's Donato. He's the one who's happily in love."

Donato was flushed. "Whether it's being happy in love or heartbroken. It's all still love, and I think it moves us in mysterious ways."

"Isn't that a line from a song or something?" Hinako thought aloud.

Everyone laughed. Dojima continued by saying, "Donato is right. We love and learn."

"And get hurt very badly." Sekimori suddenly commented.

There came a sudden burst of "oooohs" and "aaahs" from the group. Sekimori, the quiet, mysterious chef was finally saying something juicy. Apparently, years ago, Sekimori was just about to get married when his then fiancee decided to call it quits. It was at the height of his sushi restaurant, and while he was soaring so high in the culinary world, his personal relationships were starting to suffer.

"What's the point, when all you do is get hurt in the end?" one of the chefs in the group reacted.

"It's not always the case. Like we said, sometimes we think that we love and live happily ever after. But sometimes, we just love and learn." Dojima explained.

 _What about us?_ Bella couldn't help but think about her current predicament. She was deep in thought when Hinako nudged her teasingly, saying, "I bet you've never been in that situation. You seem to be a heartbreaker, not the one being heartbroken."

Bella smiled politely and sighed, "Maybe it's true. We love and learn, and it leads us to better things."

Shinomiya felt a pit form in his stomach. He looked at her, but not like it would matter, since everyone seemed to lean in and wait for her turn to tell her story.

Donato chuckled. "You mean, how it led you to me?"

"What!" Hinako exclaimed. "Did you guys date each other at one point?!"

Bella shook her head. "No, Chef Donato saved me from my heartache."

Whenever someone asked Donato where he met his sous chef, it had always been a running joke that he 'picked her up from the street'. But in fact, that was really the case.

"It had been four months since my ex double-crossed me for a job opportunity. I supported him even after that, thinking that if I help him achieve his goal, it would be fine enough for me because he was happy. But little did I know, he was also kicking me out of his life. Soon after, he found another girl." Bella explained, eyes wandering off as she recalled where she was more than a year ago.

"And then I stepped in," Donato added.

"And then Chef Donato stepped in," she repeated in agreement. Bella covered her face in embarrassment. "Oh God, I was crying along the Ponte Vecchio when Donato stepped in and started talking to me, giving me this awful lecture about love and learning from it."

"Seriously? I would have expected you to pick her up from the street." Mizuhara criticized the blond.

"I guess he sort of did!" Bella laughed. "But it was all for good reasons. He offered me a job, and here we are today."

Dinner was getting interesting as everyone started sharing their personal dating stories. From bad dates to worst heartaches, it was quite a fascinating get together. Of course, Shinomiya stayed mum the entire time, refusing to talk about his past experience. He merely said that he's been through a few dates here and there, but things never worked out because of conflict of schedules and being busy with work.

"It's expected. You've never been the one to make the effort to stay in a relationship." Hinako commented.

"Inui, let's give Shinomiya some credit. A relationship takes two people to make it work. And that advice goes for everyone too." Dojima chastised.

As dinner came to a close, Bella excused herself to answer a phone call. While she stepped out, Donato noticed how Shinomiya looked even more distant than usual. A sly smirk played on the edge of his lips, and then he spoke, "Sekimori-senpai, you're not dating anyone now, are you?"

"No, why?" the sushi chef answered.

"Why not date Bella then? She's single. You're single. You're both good people." He nonchalantly pointed it out.

"Oh? But isn't she dating Shinomiya?" Dojima chimed in.

Shinomiya grumbled. "How many times do I have to say this? We are _not_ dating."

"Then it's settled!" Donato clasped his hands together. "Sekimori-senpai, just get to know her, _ne_?"

The flustered Sekimori rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Come on now, Donato. Don't force this on me. She's great. I just don't want to make the situation uncomfortable for her."

"Geez, maybe you two are perfect." Mizuhara rolled her eyes. "You're too nice. She's too caring about everyone. You guys should give it a shot."

Hinako then had the most genius idea. "I know! So it's not awkward, why don't we all go out and sit them together the entire night?"

"Inui!" Sekimori scolded as his cheeks turned crimson.

As the group started planning their night out of town, Shinomiya slipped away without anyone noticing except for Donato and Mizuhara. The two friends locked eyes and Mizuhara worded silently to the blond, 'you know it too, don't you?' to which, Donato merely smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

* * *

Much later that night, Bella found herself in the lounge. It took her about thirty minutes to realize how stupid she was for hoping that Shinomiya would still show up, despite him calling off the sponsorship. A heavy sigh escaped her lips.

"Isabella, are you waiting for someone?" Donato asked, coming up behind her.

"Chef Donato, where did you come from?"

He took a seat in front of her. "I came from the concierge to ask about the best souvenir here in Fukuoka. Ruth sent me a message telling me I should surprise her with something extraordinary from here."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You know, there's always Google for that."

He chuckled. "I know, but it never hurts to ask a local."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that."

"So, you're evading my question. Are you waiting for someone?" he asked.

"No…"

Donato gave her a knowing smile. "You know, you have this obvious blink when you're lying…"

"What!" she started to freak out. "Shinomiya said the same thing! And he also said that I have this look when -" she stopped, noticing Donato smile towards her. There was so much more meaning to it. Her cheeks turned pink. "I...I guess I just have very obvious facial expressions."

"I think only the people who really care about you can tell."

Her heart sank upon hearing his words. _People who really care?_ It made her wonder if she meant so much more to Shinomiya than she expected. She wished that she meant more to him. But if he really cared, he would be there at the lounge too, meeting her because he knew she would be there. The thing is...he wasn't there. He never showed up. He probably didn't care.

"So, Bella, I've been meaning to ask, how is your special project with Shinomiya?"

"Oh," she hesitantly replied, averting his gaze. "He said he's not interested in it anymore. He asked me to scrap the whole idea."

"Did something happen?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know either, Chef. But that's what he wants...however," she stopped and pursed her lips. "I'm still working on it."

"Alone?" Donato was bewildered by the idea.

"Yes, because...we've already worked so hard in letting Reo reconsider an investment. I still think this is good for him, you know? Look how Reo supports us for the auberge. We've grown more than ever because of him. And...Shinomiya wants those three stars. You and I know that although Shinomiya has enough sponsors…"

"Reo's investment goes beyond money." Donato completed the thought. "Right, it's also his connections in the culinary world and beyond that makes his investments gain traction."

She nodded her head. "I don't know if its a good idea."

"But how will you do it without Shinomiya's help?"

"I'm just working on whatever I can to get Reo to talk to Shinomiya himself. I'm trying to sell him the idea with a brief report on whatever I have already talked about with Shinomiya." she explained.

Donato could see the determination in Bella's eyes. But deep inside, he was worried. Although her caring nature was to be admired, it's the one thing that leads to her downfall, much like in her past relationship. He couldn't help but wonder if she would just end up with even more heartache since there was no telling for sure what was running through Shinomiya's mind.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Bella. It's good that you care, just...leave a lot more for yourself. " He reminded.

"I understand, which is why I've made a choice, Chef." she replied, looking at him with downcast eyes. "I'll take the spot in Italy and have the new sous chef fly out to Tokyo. It makes sense, seeing as the people I love are there - my family, my friends…"

"Yeah, but what about me? Your friends here?" he feigned a look of pain.

"Of course, I'll miss you all." she replied. "But you said it yourself, leave a lot more for yourself. And who better to surround me with love than my family? And let's face it, I can run the Italy branch a lot better than the new sous chef."

Donato tried his best to support her decision. However, he was a little affected by it too. She would be away from him, Inui, Mizuhara and Shinomiya. The past year she was assigned in Tokyo completely changed everything, and things just got way more interesting when his friends became her friends too since New Year.

"Alright, Bella. We'll finalize everything in the next few weeks." he said, standing up, offering a hand to her. "Now, I think we should rest, we have a long day tomorrow for the final bout of the students."

She waved a hand to him. "I'm fine, Chef. I think I'll stay here for a few more minutes and just clear my head."

He smiled at her. "Alright. _Buona notte_."

" _Buona notte_."

When Donato walked away, he was surprised to see Shinomiya standing in the corner, not too far off from where they were sitting. His expression was hardened and hands were in his pockets. "Shinomiya," he greeted. "Were you on your way to talk to Bella?"

U̶n̶s̶p̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶R̶u̶l̶e̶ ̶#̶ ̶2̶ ̶N̶o̶ ̶r̶o̶m̶a̶n̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶l̶i̶n̶g̶s̶.̶

 _Yes._ That was on his mind. But he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. He made up his mind not to even bother to step out of his room that night. However, he wanted to take a chance. Maybe she would be at the lounge. Maybe they could talk. What would they talk about? He didn't know. But he just wanted to see her. He felt the _need_ to see her.

"No...I was just going to ask the concierge to change my pillows. They're not soft enough."

"You know, you can just call them. Dial '0'." Donato replied.

Shinomiya averted his gaze in attempt to hide his embarrassment. "Right," he said and turned away. "Anyway, see you tomorrow."

Donato sighed and watched him walk away. He was sure Shinomiya heard everything.


	13. One Word, Four Letters pt 1

Chapter 13: One Word, Four Letters pt. 1

Rain came in a downpour on the last day of the advancement exam. Despite the cozy bed weather, both Totsuki alumni chefs and students woke up early for the last day of the final exam. It couldn't be helped that everyone felt quite lethargic given that the atmosphere was quite conducive for sleeping in, but the one affected by this the most was Shinomiya.

It had been a rough night. For the first time in a long time, he tossed and turned in bed all night. The last time he was this uneasy was the day before Shino's Paris first opened. He groaned and grumbled many times, fluffing the pillows in a variety of ways, and even pacing the room back and forth just to tire himself out. Before he knew it, his alarm went off and it was already six o' clock in the morning. It was time to get ready for the last day of the advancement exam.

 _Aaaaachoo!_ Hinako's face was full of snot as she struggled to fish out a handkerchief from her pocket.

"Gross," Mizuhara replied coldly as she tossed a pack of tissues toward her direction. "When did you even get sick?"

"I'm not sick...yet, although I am feeling a bit warm." she answered, blowing her nose so loudly that people couldn't help but stop and give her a look. "I'll be fine, I just need to take a pill or something."

From the other end of the room, the two Italian chefs were engrossed in conversation.

"Huh? You want to get Tadokoro? My mentee?" Bella tried to clarify with her boss.

Mizuhara popped in, saying, "Don't be surprised, Donato's been eyeing Megumi since she was a first year."

"Megumi-chan will be staying with me when she graduates, Chef Donato, don't be silly!" Hinako pushed aside the blond Italian.

Shinomiya came in as Donato and Hinako were arguing over Megumi's future. With dark circles under his eyes, he was noticeably tired, and this caught the attention of both Mizuhara and Bella. In an attempt to keep things professional, Bella cleared her throat and greeted, "Good morning, Chef Shinomiya."

He gave her a nod and headed straight for the coffee station. Bella placed a hand over her chest, calming herself down. Desperation was starting to build up again inside her. She wanted so badly for them to go back to how they used to be, but this was the inevitable end she knew coming. She just didn't expect it to be this bad.

As the day progressed, they seemed more distant than ever. They acted like children, staying far away from each other as much as possible. They never talked. The most contact they've had was when they inadvertently locked eyes, and then look away. Unlike Shinomiya, Bella had never been completely held back by her pride. Fear was the only thing letting her stay away. She was too afraid to feel even more desperate to want him back.

As they stood at the sidelines of the makeshift shokugeki arena, Bella continued to watch Tadokoro Megumi intently. "What is it about Megumi, Chef?" she whispered to Donato. "She's skilled but very clumsy, even though she's already almost a third year."

"You should know I don't necessarily go for someone perfect," he explained, glancing at her and seeing how intense his sous chef watched the blue-haired student. "Megumi has a good heart. She's the type of person who puts others first, regardless if she's having a bad day. _You_ should know, she's the kind of girl we need at the auberge...especially since you won't be with me."

She whipped her head to his direction. "You're making me feel bad about leaving," she frowned, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm still with you...just 6,000 miles away."

Donato crossed his arms over his chest, a habit he only did whenever he started to get serious. "I can't say this isn't difficult for me. You can choose to stay, you know. But your decision to move back to Italy is the exact same reason why you chose to move to Tokyo with me."

"I...don't get it, Chef Donato."

Just then, Hinako came out of nowhere and exclaimed, "You're leaving?!"

The two chefs turned around and saw Hinako staring at them with wide eyes. She was always a little bit more sentimental than anyone else in the group. She was marching her way to argue with Donato once again about taking Megumi, when she overheard their conversation.

 _Damn it. We should've been speaking in Italian..._ Bella groaned. Now was not the time to explain. Surely, she had to tell them at one point, but it definitely wasn't intended to be during the final bout. "Yes, I am," Bella pursed her lips and placed her hands up in surrender. "But please, Hinako, I'll explain later."

"Fine…" Hinako pouted, as she scooted close to Mizuhara instead.

As the two Italian chefs redirected their attention back to the arena, Donato couldn't help but clear his throat and chastise, "You're running away again, Isabella."

"I'm not running away, Chef." she countered.

"Whether you're in Florence or Tokyo, in the end, it's still to my advantage. It's just that I'm giving you the chance to make the _right_ choice, because it's not always about being a chef..." Donato continued to lecture, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're not doing yourself a favor by running away from your feelings."

She released an audible sigh. "Better to run away than to get hurt. You know I've been there. I've held out the fort for so long before."

"You can't say every situation will be like that, and even if it happens again, like what Dojima said, you love and learn."

Bella opened her mouth to speak, but Donato quickly placed a finger to shush her. "Sleep on it," he ordered, his expression suddenly shifting to a stern look. "And stop being so stubborn, Isabella." he added, before walking over to Hinako and Mizuhara.

She swallowed hard and closed her eyes for a second, internally taking Donato's advice. Then she looked back and glanced at Shinomiya who caught her gaze. In their silent stares she felt how badly her heart ached, wanting to know if he could possibly feel the same way she did for him. _Get a grip!_ She mentally scolded herself. She should know better. If she wanted to know something, all she had to do was ask.

* * *

By late afternoon, the chosen students were already declared to advance into their third year. Some of those who weren't able to advance were offered jobs by the alumni. It came as no surprise that some of the Elite Ten members were offered jobs at various international culinary groups. Amidst the chaos, Bella spotted Shinomiya talking to Yukihira. It reminded her of Donato's request about considering Tadokoro Megumi for the auberge.

" _Scusi,_ Tadokoro!" Bella blurted out upon seeing the shy girl come out with her friends.

"Yes, Chef Bella?" she answered, jogging towards her exam mentor.

"I'd like to know if you want to come work for the auberge...as junior sous chef." she immediately got straight to the point, to which, the meek girl greeted her offer with wide eyes and rounded lips. "Your skills and your heart will flourish at the auberge." she added, taking her hand and smiling at the student.

"I'll be under you, Chef Bella?" Megumi was a little confused.

Without letting her smile wear off, she gently placed Megumi's hand down. "Uhm, not exactly since I'm moving back to the branch in Italy."

Yukihira then showed up right behind his friend, beaming, "Wow, Tadokoro! Junior Sous Chef!"

"You're leaving Japan?" Megumi clarified, a little surprised by the news. "For good?"

As the last two words escaped Megumi's lips, Shinomiya couldn't help but stop and overhear their conversation. He placed his hands in his pockets, and his face morphed into a look of detestation. How could she just keep telling everyone but him? Had she no respect for their relationship that she wouldn't even give him a heads up about it? Did this mean the end of their casual commitment?

Hinako suddenly jumped in and propped an arm over Shinomiya's shoulders. Lost in his thoughts, he was completely off guard as Hinako set her weight on him, pulling him down. "Shinomiya, got any good recruits?" she asked in between sniffles.

"Get your snotty face away from me." he spat and pushed her away, as he usually would.

" _Ma, ma,_ Shinomiya," Donato came in with Mizuhara. "You look grumpier than usual," he pointed out, pausing as they all took a look at the coral-haired chef. Dark circles were evident under his eyes. "Why didn't you get enough sleep?"

Shinomiya placed a hand on his hip. "What makes you think that?"

"Your face says it all, you idiot." Mizuhara added.

"Well, you better take a nap because we're going to be out all night!" Hinako beamed, despite the stuffiness of her nose.

"Can you even still go out? You sound like you're gonna have a bad cold." Donato said, raising a brow towards the Japanese chef.

Bella came in strides, stopping just beside Shinomiya. "We're finally done for the day!" she declared, smiling at everyone.

"You sound particularly chipper." Donato commented.

"Because Megumi said she'll consider working for the Tokyo Auberge."

" _Meraviglioso_!" the blonde clasped his hands with glee.

"Wait, wait wait -" Hinako put her hands up in panic. "What's this I hear about you leaving?"

By now, it was public information so it should come as no surprise. Still, Bella couldn't help but feel her heart sink every time someone would mention it. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Can we not talk about this now?" she replied, attempting to save herself from a lengthy and emotional discussion.

"How can we not talk about it, Bella?" Hinako whined. She balled her fists in frustration. "Why have you guys been keeping it a secret?"

"It's not a secret, it's just that...we only decided last night." Bella locked eyes with her boss.

Donato shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. " _Ma,_ Bella, I'm still giving you the choice to back out and stay in Japan."

She then looked at him pleadingly, hoping he would just play along so she could further avoid any explanations. Couldn't he just play along?

Hinako swiftly grabbed her wrist and held them tightly. "If you had the choice to stay, why would you leave?"

"Well," Bella started, looking away. "It's just that my family's already in Italy and the auberge is there...it's a good reason to move."

There was silence in the group.

No matter how much they try to fight it, family would always be a huge deciding factor. And yet, just as how she felt when Shinomiya left Japan to pursue his dream in Paris, Hinako was determined to give Bella reasons to stay.

Swinging her wrists back and forth, Hinako had that determined gleam in her eye. "This is perfect!" she declared, looking at all her friends. "By the end of the night, we'll give you better reasons to stay in Japan."

* * *

After a few futile attempts at bar-hopping, the group finally settled in an immensely neon-lit bar at the nightlife district of Nakasu. Shots of liquor had been shoved in each other's throats, but mostly in Bella's, since Hinako declared it to be her going away party. But taking it back shortly after, saying that she was still determined to give her reasons to stay.

Feeling a little light-headed, Bella looked around to look for a place where she could catch a break. She caught sight of Shinomiya slipping away from the group, and figured that it was probably a good idea to follow him. Wherever he would go, for sure, it was someplace quiet.

Grabbing two glasses, she poured over some whisky and went after him.

She found him on the small balcony of the second floor, his back turned as he looked out and watched the rain fall. The floor creaked and Shinomiya whipped his head, surprised to see her standing by the doorway.

"Can I join you?"

They've been avoiding each other all day, merely exchanging glances but no one dared to make a move. He turned around and placed his arms over his chest. "You've been avoiding me all day, and now you want to have a drink with me?" He replied, eyeing the two drinks at hand.

"You're one to talk," she replied, pushing the glass to his chest. "What's up with all the looks you've been throwing me all day?"

"Huh," he scoffed, raising an eyebrow at her. "You wouldn't have known I was looking at you if you weren't looking at me too."

Immediately, her cheeks turned hot. To deny it would start a never-ending argument of who-wants-who first. It would be a pointless battle, knowing that she wouldn't be able to lie to herself any longer. Her throat then felt dry and she was stuck for words. So, she resolved to just take a sip from her drink and clear her throat.

All they could hear was the noise from the party downstairs. Some J-Pop song was playing in the background, and Hinako's voice reverberated through the floorboards. She seemed to continue getting everyone drunk at that moment. She fiddled with the mouth of her glass with her thumb. Hesitantly, she started to speak, "I'm leaving, Chef."

"I know," he nonchalantly replied. "You seem to be informing everyone else but me."

It would be ideal for her to assume that he was hurt by it, but then, at the back of her mind, Bella felt that making such an assumption would just keep her from moving on. "I didn't think I needed to tell you."

"Why not?" there was a twinge of distaste in his voice. "You and I agreed that we would be adults about this. But the past few days you've been playing a game of hide and seek with me."

She pursed her lips together. _It's true,_ she thought. She had been trying to avoid confronting him for multiple reasons. But despite the thickness in the air, she still couldn't help but try to brush it off. "You like these games anyway."

He gave her a glare and Bella immediately placed her hands up in retreat. "I'm kidding! I'm sorry," she replied, then taking a sip of her drink. "Old habit, I guess." she softly added.

There were a few seconds of silence, but Shinomiya was getting tired of these awkward pauses. He turned to her, eyes turning dark as his lips tightened. "Were you so fixated on the idea of just leaving without telling me?" he snapped.

Her eyes widened and her heart started pounding as he looked into his amber eyes. "I -" she stammered, hoping he could just figure it out. "Shinomiya," her voice broke as he inched closer.

"Talk, damn it!" his voice rose, grabbing her shoulders. "I'm sick and tired of these guessing games."

Her brows knitted together, and it became clear to her that they both wanted the same thing, but no one seemed to back down and admit it. "What do you want from me, Shinomiya?" she demanded, now standing straight and unwavering from his eye contact. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. But I'm telling you now. I'm leaving. There. Are you happy?"

Slowly, he loosened his grip and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "No."

"What?"

After taking a long, hard sip from his drink. He cleared his throat and spoke, "Stay."

She too, did the same thing. "And then what...?" she replied softly. For a quick second, she closed her eyes and took a breath.

She would want nothing more but to be with him. But that's the thing, what was the point of wanting if it was all just one sided? Bella set the glass down and rubbed her hands together for warmth. "We'll continue to be like this?"

"Do you not want this anymore?"

The two of them stared out the balcony for a while, both cautious and scared for what was to come next. One simple answer could make or break it all. The rain continued to pour, and the faint sound of the karaoke downstairs drowned out the silence. In that moment, Shinomiya didn't seem to mind that it took her so long to answer, because truthfully, he wasn't ready to let her go just yet.

"No...Chef." she replied, the sides of her lips pulling up into a faint smile. She sighed, fully coming to accept her decision. "I want more than this."


	14. One Word, Four Letters pt 2

Chapter 14: One Word, Four Letters pt. 2

"I want more than this."

The second those words escaped her lips, she felt a surge of regret. Immediately, she downed the glass of whisky and wiped the edges of her lips with her finger. It burned her throat, but it numbed her enough to continue on.

Shinomiya averted his gaze to the floor. He seemed to be in deep thought as his lips pressed together ruefully, which was enough of a reply for Bella to know not to expect him to feel the same way. "Look…" she started, her cheeks were flushed pink from both liquor and embarrassment and her eyes were misty - but underneath the neon lights, she was glowing.

"Shinomiya, I hate to say this…" she continued, a sigh escaping her lips again as they gazed at each other. "But I - "

"Don't," he curtly interrupted. "You might not like my answer."

U̶n̶s̶p̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶R̶u̶l̶e̶ ̶#̶ ̶3̶:̶ ̶I̶t̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶a̶l̶w̶a̶y̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶f̶u̶n̶.̶

"Huh," she clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. _You just gave it to me._ She shrugged her shoulders and breathed a heavy sigh. "Frankly, at this point, I could care less. I'm just as tired of these games as you are and you deserve the truth."

Bella pressed her hands in the pockets of her jacket and tilted her head slightly to his direction. "I'm in love with you."

He remained silent and she continued, saying, "I always have been. But, being with you this way just made me realize how deep I've fallen. So, sorry if I've been acting weird. But that's just me, trying not to fall in love with you in order to keep my promise of our arrangement."

Shinomiya felt his throat go dry. His heart felt like it was swelling and his stomach was in knots. When Bella couldn't take the silence, she shook her head with a smile on her face, looking so content and free. "Like what we agreed on at the beginning, Chef... _no expectations_. So, you don't have to worry about me continuing to be weird about this." she then extended her hand to him. "We're adults. We're professionals. I'll see you around when I visit or something."

He hesitantly took her hand, and in that moment, it felt like his fingertips were on fire. Bella felt a spark, and it killed her to extinguish it while smiling through it at the same time.

"Knock, knock, we're leaving." Donato came in and their hands couldn't have retreated fast enough.

"We're coming!" Bella smiled, leaving Shinomiya to follow.

* * *

Paired under an umbrella, Donato and Bella walked along with the others, engaging the jovial discussion of the group as they made their way to the station.

"What?" Kojiro spat as he felt Mizuhara's eyes burn on him.

"Can you hold it a little lower? I'm getting rained on." she replied in a bored tone, and he adjusted without putting up a fight.

They fell behind the others, and the teal haired chef couldn't help but notice her friend looking contemptuous. "Did you say your goodbyes?"

"What do you mean?"

"You two missed out on Dojima going ham on Arashi's super hits. Everyone was too hyped up to notice you two were gone." she pointed out, but only gained narrowed eyes from him in return. "And you're sharing an umbrella with me and not her, so I'm assuming you and a certain Italian have broken up."

"We didn't break up," he stated. "And how did you -"

"It didn't take long for Donato and I to figure out that you two were banging since the night you met."

A flush streamed across his cheeks and he remained silent. Mizuhara sighed and looked ahead, watching the Italian brunette laugh beside her boss and Sekimori standing next to them, sharing an umbrella with another alumni chef. "You're an idiot."

"Like I'm not immune to you calling me that." he rolled his eyes.

"No, like you're _really_ an idiot this time," she gave him a look of disdain. "The length of time you've been fooling around with each other is longer than most of the women you've actually dated. You must have liked her that much to stick around in such a pointless relationship."

There was a sudden halt upfront, and Bella turned and looked around with horror, "Oh my God, where's Hinako?!"

In the hustle and bustle of the bar, they seem to have failed to see who Hinako was paired up with in sharing an umbrella. After all, there were a lot of arguments in settling the bill, prying off Dojima from the karaoke machine, and wing-manning Sekimori to other girls at the bar.

"Didn't she step out with us?" Sekimori questioned.

"She was right behind me!" one of the other alumni chefs chimed in from the front.

Bella scanned the area, but still, the Japanese chef could not be found. "I'm going back. She might be near the bar." she declared, looking at Donato.

She dashed off with the umbrella, while Donato struggled to take cover under Sekimori and another chef. Mizuhara nudged Shinomiya, "Make sure she doesn't get lost too."

"Why me?" he protested.

"Because if they both got lost, at least you'd know how to take them back. This is your area." she reminded.

With a grumble, he took off and followed.

* * *

"Any luck?" Shinomiya called as he approached Bella who was just coming out of the bar.

She shook her head ruefully. "The owner said she saw her leaving with us."

They continued walking, looking out for their friend as the rain continued to pour. Donato called and reminded them that the last train would be leaving soon. They had to find Hinako soon enough, or they would all be stuck there until the rain subsides. The streets of Nakasu must have been magical in the summer, but in the indecisive spring time, it was nothing but melancholic.

She had been standing at the corner of the street, feet shuffling back and forth as she rapidly breathed in and out. Her phone was on her ear, constantly leaving Hinako voice messages while trying to fight off the chill. "Voicemail...again." she told him, sliding the phone in her pocket. "What?" she spat, noticing him stare at her.

Without saying a word, he pulled off his scarf and wrapped it around her neck. He noticed her cheeks becoming more and more cherry-like as her lips went pale and dry. "Thanks," she said sheepishly. "But then you'll get cold."

He waved his hand off. "I'm from here. I know what the weather is like."

Bella continued to look around. "The last train is in ten minutes." she reminded, desperation was in her voice. "If I were Hinako, where would I be?"

Shinomiya thought, and stopped at seeing an all too familiar neon sign. "Eating cup ramen in a convenience store." he realized, grabbing Bella's wrist and dragging her along with him.

* * *

Lo and behold, there was a very drunk Hinako slurping a large bow of cup ramen quietly at the far end of the store. "Hinako!" the brunette cried.

"Bella!" she beamed, totally oblivious to the urgency of the situation.

"The last train is leaving in less than ten minutes!" she practically shook up the entire store.

Shinomiya dragged Hinako out, and they all raced towards the station. Bella tried her best to keep up, phone on one ear as she balance an umbrella with her hand while running. "Donato, we found her! We're on our way!" she yelled.

" _Hurry up, the train is here!"_

"Why the fuck would you think about getting ramen at a time like this!" Shinomiya scolded as they shuffled steps through a flight of stairs.

There was a loud booming sound, and the sound of a zooming train fading and fading into the background as it departed. Gasping for air, Bella desperately tried to call Donato, but there was no service. " _Cazzo_ ," she cursed in between breaths. "What do we do now?"

"Call a cab."

Back at the convenience store, Bella had been juggling calls between Dojima, Donato and a cab company. Shinomiya was outside, holding an umbrella over Hinako who was vomiting at a nearby plant. The only way they could go back now was to either wait for a cab to take them back to the hotel, or wait for the hotel car service to pick them up.

"No cab would take us back because the hotel is almost at the outskirts." she informed him the second they went back in.

"And the car service?" Shinomiya checked.

"Two hours...at least, because of the bad weather."

He groaned and sat Hinako down beside her. They were exhausted and dehydrated. Hinako leaned on the counter and fell asleep. Bella placed her head atop her hands in exhaustion. A few minutes later, she felt a slight nudge at the back of her neck. It was Shinomiya offering her a bottle of water.

It felt like it had been an hour, but in reality, only ten minutes had passed of waiting. She hadn't noticed it earlier, but Shinomiya was actually drenched from the rain. At one point, he struggled to balance holding Hinako and the umbrella over them at the same time. Bella removed the scarf. As it left her skin, she realized that she had been so at home with his smell of peppermint and cider. She placed it atop his head.

"What are you -"

"You'll get sick." she chastised.

"You'll get cold."

"Your hair is wet."

 _Touché._

As he dried off and pushed back his hair with his scarf, Shinomiya realized that she too, was starting to look uncomfortable. He then whipped out his phone and dialed a number. After a few exchanges, he instructed her to cancel the car service.

Not too long after, a cab pulled up in front of the store.

"Where are we going?" she asked, pushing Hinako to the back seat.

"My mother lives around the area." he answered.

* * *

Shinomiya Kojiro's mother lived alone in a two-story house just ten minutes away from the district. It was two in the morning when they arrived, and she was more than happy to see her son. However, still a little bit concerned given the circumstance.

"Kojiro! Why didn't you just head straight here?" she chastised, as if talking to a ten-year-old boy. "You have two women with you, you should have known better!"

"Mother," he groaned, unloading Hinako on his bed.

She placed a hand on Bella's arm, "You should take a hot bath. You might get sick."

"Thank you, but I'm fine." she politely refused, but Shinomiya gestured for her to just go along with it.

A few minutes later, Bella came out dressed in an oversized shirt and pajama pants. Shinomiya looked up from the dining table and raised a brow at her appearance. She looked... _adorable_ in his clothes. It was a peculiar sight for him to see a woman wearing his own belongings.

"I'm sorry they're a little big, but I thought that maybe it's just more comfortable for you to wear Kojiro's clothes." his mother told Bella as she guided her to the table and offered hot tea.

"No, no, they're fine." she said, a slight flush creeping on her cheeks. "They're a lot comfier than what I was wearing earlier. Thank you."

He couldn't help but stare for a few more seconds, up until they locked eyes and both looked away. Butterflies. Bella was once again feeling the butterflies in her stomach. But she knew she had to clip them away. Come tomorrow, everything would be back to normal and she'd be on the next flight to Italy.

"I wish you would visit me more often, and not just when you're in need." Mrs. Shinomiya scolded her son once again. "You always say you'd visit, but never do."

"I told you I'd move you to Tokyo, but you didn't want to." he reasoned.

"This is my home. Why would I want to leave?"

"You left the countryside. _That_ was our home. It doesn't matter where it is, as long as you're with me." Kojiro countered.

"What was I supposed to do? You convinced me that you'd visit more often if you'd move me here in the city. But you still don't!" she pouted.

Bella smiled and remembered her own family back in Florence. Perhaps it really was better if she just went back. Heaven knows her _nonna_ would be throwing a fit if she failed to visit her at least three times a year. "What about you, dear? Do you live in Tokyo too?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. I'm from Tokyo now, but I'm moving back to Italy real soon. I miss my family terribly."

Mrs. Shinomiya slapped her son's arm. "See, Kojiro! Would you look at that!"

"Mother," he groaned again, and Bella giggled. It was refreshing to hear her laugh. It was amusing to hear such banter.

There was a sparkle in Mrs. Shinomiya's eyes and her lips have suddenly stretched into a knowing smile. "Oh dear, perhaps if Kojiro could find a woman like you, then maybe I'd see him more often."

"Oh," Bella stammered, feeling a little embarrassed. "Chef Shinomiya is highly popular, I'm sure he won't have trouble finding a wonderful woman."

But the older woman shook her head. "This is the only time he's ever taken women home. If you find one that would love a workaholic like him, please introduce them to each other." she almost pleaded.

Shinomiya pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Can we please stop talking about this?" he grumbled.

"When will we _ever_ talk about this, Kojiro?" the older woman's voice was stern. Her brows were knitted together and she lightly smacked the back of his head. "You're already 30 years old, and I'm not going to live forever. My dying wish is for you to settle down…or _kami-sama_ , just please have a woman next to you."

"MOTHER!" he abruptly stood up.

She giggled and stood up as well. "He hates it when I say that." she mouthed to Bella, which in turn, made the Italian giggle as well. "What time should I wake you up for your flight?"

"It's fine, we'll set an alarm for 7 AM." he replied.

"I'll prepare breakfast then."

Bella held out her hands and said, "Oh no, you don't have -"

"I insist." she cut in before leaving the room. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight and thank you again!" she called back.

Then there were two. Bella detangled the ends of her wet hair quite fervently as they sat across from each other. "Your mother is so sweet."

"She's...a character."

"No, she's just being a mom." she smiled back at him.

He cleared his throat and changed the topic quite quickly. Leave it to Shinomiya to be allergic to touchy-feely stuff, even if its about family. "Hinako took the bed." he stated.

"I'll just roll her to the edge and slip in beside her."

He scoffed. "Right, good luck with that. She's more defiant than a baboon in her sleep."

It took a lot of kicking, pushing, and shoving for Bella to make room for her on that king-sized bed. The bed was large enough to fit two petite women, but Shinomiya was right, Hinako commanded the entire mattress and even put up a fight. Even colonizers were able to settle much quicker than this.

"I'm just not going to sleep." Bella muttered, accepting her fate. _Maybe a bare Tatami in the living room wouldn't be so bad._

"Told you." he suddenly sneered from the futon beneath them.

She slid down and sat next to his futon, hugging her knees for comfort. "Why are you awake?" her voice muffled through her skin.

"How can I fall asleep with you tossing and turning all night?" he spat, sitting up.

Bella looked at the clock and realized that she had barely gotten any sleep in the past hour. It was mostly a struggle just fighting for territory. Her eyes diverted to Shinomiya's futon. It wasn't as big as the bed, but with her size, she could fit right in. _No, stop it._

She then moved to the corner and stretched her legs. Her back nestled against the wall and she closed her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Shh," she hissed, keeping her eyes closed. "Trying to sleep."

"Bella," he called, making her eyelids flutter open. Shinomiya had unfolded the blanket as a gesture for her to crawl in. She gave him a doubtful look in return, and shook her head in resistance. He rolled his eyes and admitted defeat, "Fine. Suit yourself." Then he laid down and turned his back on her.

Her heart ached to be beside him - to feel his warm skin against her own and inhale his scent of peppermint and cider. But the thought of having a taste of it was too much to handle. She feared that she couldn't stop with just being next to each other. Take note: she still wanted so much more.

"You're killing me." she commented, eventually giving in. "Why did you have to dump her on the bed?" she groaned, scooting under the blanket.

"You don't understand. It's Hinako. Try carrying her around."

Their bodies were frigid underneath the sheets, both equally too aware of each other's presence. It was as awkward as girl-meets-boy for the first time. It was uncomfortable to stay so still when the warmth radiated so effortlessly from each other's skin, making each other melt.

Bella felt like a prisoner. She turned to the right and found it so cramped to be settled on that side. Turning to the left, and found herself face to face with Shinomiya. Her eyes suddenly widened and she felt 50 shades of red at their proximity. "Sorry," she whispered and both of them turned again to lie on their backs.

 _This is impossible,_ she thought. But at the same time, _ugh, please kiss me,_ she childishly mused.

"I'm sorry, Shinomiya." she spoke slowly, finally breaking the silence.

"For what?"

"I fell short from my end of the deal...now its fucking awkward."

There was silence. Bella could only hope that he wouldn't hear her heart thumping in her chest. Not really expecting for a reply, her eyes softened until she closed them, expecting sleep. "Goodnight." she murmured.

The futon shifted and her eyes flew open, seeing Shinomiya hovering over her chest. His coral hair fell to his face, but still, she could see his amber eyes underneath them. It was instinct that drove him to move. But it was his heart and mind that told him to kiss her.

Shinomiya had always felt a gap whenever they would say goodbye. Try as he might to deny it, but it was driving him crazy when she left for Italy for two weeks. He felt incredibly uneasy when Hinako sent that screencap of Bella and Reo together. He was irritated at the fact that she just won't quit - not even when they argued, not even when she was rejected by him, not even when he tried so hard to ignore her. She was simply there, fulfilling her end of the deal of becoming less of a headache in his life. Professional, yet equally as caring - that's what she was through and through, and that's what he needed in his life.

"You didn't fall short." he said, as he retreated and gently pushed away the hair from her face.

Her cheeks were pink as her mouth was agape, eyes on a soft focus on him and it was the cutest thing he's ever seen. This time, she reached up and pulled him back in for another kiss.

Each movement burned a whole new desire, and soon after, hands were moving madly against each other's skin. There was so much longing as their tongues entered each other's mouths, begging for more time. He would take quick pauses, wanting to see her face in that flushed state. It was as if he could never get enough of how kissed she looked.

Their fingers naturally entwined, as if they had already known that they were meant to be like that. Their lips were magnetic, unable to repel from each others force. Tongues tied for words, but parched for each other.

It was a good thing Hinako was a heavy sleeper. She never awoke from the constant movement from below the bed as the two continued to kiss. Their lips were eventually starting to get dry, and they rolled off each other, gasping for air.

Bella turned to look at him. She smiled and her heart continued to skip a beat as she thought, _I'm still in love with you,_ and she was satisfied with just that.

She closed her eyes and pulled the sheets to her chest. Shinomiya inched closer, pulling her body to nestle against his. Happily, she obliged, and moulded into his arms. She would think about the consequences tomorrow, but for now, she would go to sleep with a smile on her face.

His fingers thumbed her hair as she was falling asleep to his heartbeat. As everything started to become hazy, and just before her unconsciousness drowned out Hinako's snores, she could have sworn she felt Shinomiya kiss the crown of her head.

"Bella," he whispered.

"Mmm?" she could hardly keep up; days of exhaustion finally catching up to her.

"Stay...with me."

U̶n̶s̶p̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶R̶u̶l̶e̶ ̶#̶ ̶4̶:̶ ̶N̶o̶ ̶S̶l̶e̶e̶p̶o̶v̶e̶r̶s̶.̶

* * *

A/N: Ahhh Shinomiya *hearteyes*. nyahaha. Hi everyone! I apologize for the late updates, but the next chapters will be out soon since this story will just have 2 or three chapters left. :) I want to thank you all for following this story. I can't wait to write the next chapters.


	15. One-Way Ticket

A/N: Hello my dear readers, there are only three chapters left for this story and I'm posting two today to make up for the overdue update. Last one's gonna be up soon too, so make sure to put this in your Follow list. Without further ado, here's Chapter 15.

* * *

Chapter 15: One-Way Ticket

The next day, Hinako awoke in a sudden jolt. Her throat felt incredibly arid accompanied by the incessant pounding of her head. She groaned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She sprawled on the bed for the last time and stretched her arms and legs to greet the new day. But then, she started to wonder, _where am I?!_

She abruptly sat up and looked around the room. Bland and unnecessarily clean. Just then, she heard breathing sounds from the bottom of the bed. Slowly, she peered over the edge and her eyes immediately widened at the sight before her.

Bella dug her face deep into Shinomiya's chest as he had his arms wrapped around her. Hinako felt a sudden rush of panic. Instinctively, she wanted to swat his hands away from her in an effort to protect her from his notorious viselike hold. But then she realized, there was something quite odd about the situation...Shinomiya wasn't suffocating her, he was... _holding_ her.

All at once, everything made sense. "I KNEW IT!" she cried.

Her voice shook up the entire household. Shinomiya's eyes flew open and he quickly sat up, which made Bella slide off his arms. All that they could register was that Hinako could not stop yapping. Her shrill voice sounded like the non-stop fire of a machine gun.

"Oh my god, I knew there was something going on with you two!" she slapped her hands to her cheeks in realization. Then, she looked up and started to think aloud, "But wait a minute, how long has this been going on?!" not a second later, she would change her mood again, saying, "I'm so happy I WAS RIGHT! HAH!"

Shinomiya grabbed a pillow and hurled it to her direction. "Shut up, geez."

"I knew it! I knew it!" she continued to exclaim, despite the loud thud of the pillow right in the middle of her face. Shinomiya always seemed to have perfect aim.

"Hinako," Bella called, trying to calm her down.

But alas, Hinako was pretty much numb to anything else. Her thoughts continued to shift from a cheerful, "Oh my god, I'm so happy for you guys!" to a skeptical, "Hold on, but Bella is leaving…" and then to a carefree, "No, no, _this_ is why she's staying."

"Hinako, calm down, we're not -"

"So the rumors were true, there is something going on with you two!"

Bella sighed, "Hinako, it's not -"

The determination was unshakeable as she pounded her fists together. "I wonder if Mizuhara knows or maybe I figured it out first! HAH!"

"HINAKO!" Shinomiya raged.

She disregarded his temper and turned to Bella, eyes gleaming. "I don't believe it! Since when were you guys together?"

"Uh," the Italian chef stuttered, looking over to Shinomiya for clues. But then, she was surprised to see him looking away. Was last night just a moment of temporary madness? Did he suddenly regret that heated kiss? Though they were right beside each other, Bella had never felt him so far away. She hadn't left Japan, but it seemed as if she had already lost him.

"We're not together." she said coldly.

Perhaps it was time for her to accept the truth. Last night probably didn't change anything. At the end of it all, she's boarding a plane for Tokyo, then buying a one-way ticket to Florence.

"...you're kidding, right?" Hinako gasped. "You two just...but he had his arms...and you were -"

The alarm from Shinomiya's phone went off, and right on cue, his mother also called out from the kitchen. "Kojiro, breakfast is ready!"

He stood and began to straighten himself up. "We better get ready."

* * *

The sky was still dark and gloomy, but there was no sign of rain. In Bella's mind, she had been wishing that a force of nature would bless her with the possibility of an extension. She wanted so badly to have more time with him. But with pessimism slowly creeping its way into her system, she knew it probably wouldn't change anything. She would never know if she was just dreaming when he told her to stay with him.

The breakfast table was quiet, and every now and then, she would carefully peep at Shinomiya to get a clue on what he was thinking. He seemed to be in deep thought. The minute they sat down, he had not looked at her once.

She grabbed the pot from the side and asked, "More coffee, Chef?"

He finally turned to her and shook his head. "No, thank you." he answered, and Bella saw that his eyes have gone from a bright burning amber to cold and dark.

U̶n̶s̶p̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶R̶u̶l̶e̶ ̶#̶ ̶5̶:̶ ̶N̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶s̶s̶u̶m̶e̶.̶

Her shoulders visibly weakened. She was becoming even more sure that she had it all wrong. It was probably a dream, and that moment of desire mimicked the night they first met: for one night only.

Mrs. Shinomiya came in with a plate of tamago and bowls of steamed rice.

"The miso soup is delicious," Bella praised, smiling as she took another careful sip.

"Is that so? It's Kojiro's favorite." she answered proudly.

"I can see why."

"I'm glad, although…" she trailed off, eyes shifting to Hinako. "Is she okay?"

Hinako sat quietly, shaking like an overly aggressive chihuahua. It seemed like she had gone mad from both fear and excitement because of what she had witnessed earlier. Bella kicked her shin from under the table and gestured to Shinomiya's mother. "I-I'm fine, just a little cold!" she smiled brightly. Surely, Mrs. Shinomiya now thinks that she was an odd one.

Shinomiya pushed his seat back and excused himself. He hardly touched his food. "I'm going to get ready." he announced and immediately turned away.

"I'll call for a car service." she called out, whipping out her phone.

"Psst, Bella…" Hinako whispered, looking around the kitchen. It was only the two of them left eating breakfast. Mrs. Shinomiya had followed her son to the living room as Bella focused on the task at hand.

"What is it, Hinako?" she lifted her head.

"Since when were you and Shinomiya together?" she asked. It was quite comical to see her shaking eventually stop. It was as if holding on to these questions had been making her so agitated.

"Oh," she replied, biting her bottom lip right after. "We're not...together."

"What?!" Hinako exclaimed, to which, Bella hissed at her for being so loud. "What do you mean you're not together? But you guys were just - I mean, what was that?"

"It's nothing, Hinako." she said calmly, finishing off a message before putting the phone down. "Shinomiya and I...are friends." she bitterly added.

Hinako just blinked and stared at her blankly. "FRIENDS DON'T CUDDLE LIKE THAT!" She enunciated each and every syllable.

"Err…" she awkwardly started, her hands moving restlessly atop one another. "Do I really need to explain this? I mean, he and I want to be together in some ways, but _not_ in a relationship way...you know?"

"...oh." was the only thing that escaped from Hinako's lips. She was still confused. What she witnessed earlier didn't seem to be the same as what the Italian was talking about. While it was true that she wasn't sharpest, she was a hundred percent sure that the equations just didn't seem to add up. "It just doesn't seem that way, Bella." she pointed out.

"It doesn't matter anyway," she quickly replied. "I mean...I'm leaving soon."

"You're really leaving?"

Bella paused and remembered what Shinomiya said last night. She still could have sworn that he asked her to stay with him. But what if she was just dreaming? What if she had assumed something that never happened?

"I am. The flight is already booked, Hinako. I only have 24 hours in Tokyo to get some work done before I fly out again."

Bella was adamant about her decision. But Hinako could see the longing in her eyes. She also knew that if Shinomiya really didn't care too much, he would be there, sitting with them instead of abruptly excusing himself to head elsewhere.

* * *

"Do you now prefer French toast over Miso soup?" the calm voice of Shinomiya's mother seemed to soothe him and snap him out of his messy thoughts.

He scoffed, "Of course not. Never."

When Shinomiya was a child, he often sat near the window when he was in deep thought. He was never one to get along with the other kids, and when he got home, he would run into his own little corner to soothe himself. Despite being confident in his abilities, the tiniest ounce of anxiety he felt as he awaited the result of his Totsuki scholarship prompted him to stay in this space. And now, something seemed to be bothering him and his mother knew just where to find him.

She stood beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Just one touch was enough to calm him down and relax his mind. "Don't leave our guests alone," she reprimanded. "Especially the other one. She seems pretty invested in you. More than you know."

He turned to her in surprise, "What?"

The corner of her lips curled up into a smile. "You know who I'm talking about."

Kojiro was known to instil a magical effect on food. But his mother, on the other hand, seemed to be as enchanted as he is for she always knew what was going on even before he said anything. She had a gift for knowing all the right things to say.

"How did you know?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Mother's hunch."

"I don't know what to do." he mumbled.

Mrs. Shinomiya sighed deeply. "Kojiro, you're always so sensitive," she chastised, clicking her tongue at him. "You don't overthink these things. If she's special...just let her know."

* * *

They said their goodbyes with the promise of returning soon. Hinako was hopeful, especially since she was knocked out for most of the time and never got to really explore the Shinomiya household in the duration of their stay. She had already made a mental note to gather all their friends and raid their house in the next holiday.

As Bella sat back in the seat of the service limousine, she couldn't help but think about Mrs. Shinomiya's parting words. The older woman took her wrists and held them firmly, smiled at her and said, 'I can't wait to see you again' just before she boarded. All she could manage to do was smile in return.

She wondered what she meant by that. It was unlikely that they would meet again. But then It pained her when her imagination wandered off for a bit. What would it be like to be with Shinomiya? _Would we visit his mother often? Would she tell me secrets about Shinomiya's childhood?_ She longed for such a connection.

The car ride was awkward and silent. Halfway through it, Hinako's hangover finally kicked in and she fell asleep. Shinomiya and Bella sat on the opposite ends of the seat, both looking out the window. Once Hinako started snoring, Shinomiya finally broke the silence.

The conversation was as dull as a drill exercise. It started with the most trivial things, and it was nonchalantly taken. Bella figured that this is probably the most productive conversation they've had in a while. Why not just give into it?

"Did you eat well?"

"Yes,"

"Did my mother say anything embarrassing?"

"No,"

"Have you gotten your ticket to Italy?"

"Yes,"

"Are you ready to go?"

She just hummed in reply.

When he sensed her disinterest, he decided to retreat and carry on with the silence. But not before long bitterly commenting, "Seems like you have everything figured out."

She sighed deeply. "For the most part. But I'm leaving a lot behind…" she trailed off. _The Tokyo Auberge team, my friends, my best friend...you._

"It's expected since I only have twenty-four hours. So, I have to pack most of my things...and probably just ask Ruth to send over everything through boxes." she continued to explain.

"Twenty-four hours?" Shinomiya reiterated.

"Yes."

He whipped his head to her direction. Shinomiya opened his mouth, but no words came out. It was as if he would choke on his own breath. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he managed to sputter out, "What?"

She gazed back at him and realized how surprised he was. "What do you mean _what_?"

Shinomiya's lips tightened for a second before speaking. "I thought you'd have more time in Tokyo before you fly out again."

She shook her head slowly. "No...I'm leaving the day _after_ we get to Tokyo."

His brows furrowed and his lips were downturn. Shinomiya's expression triggered a sense of déjà vu. It was just like the first time that she left for Italy.

Truthfully, she wasn't heartless. She knew that after last night, he deserved to know what was going to happen. But then, for the last time, she wanted to play another game.

"Was I supposed to tell you?" she spoke, making it sound more of a challenge than a question.

In the game of Casual Commitments, there is only one spoken rule: no expectations. But Shinomiya had already lost the second he replied, "Yes, you should have."

She felt as if her head was spinning and that her heart was about to jump out of her chest. Her hand instinctively clutched the front of her shirt and her fingertips unknowingly started crumpling the fabric. It seemed as if she was gasping for air.

"I can't keep doing this." she finally managed to speak. Her voice was in the sound of defeat.

The game of Casual Commitments had come to an end by a draw. But the question is, what rules do they play by now?

Tears started to trickle down her cheeks. _Damn it,_ she thought, wiping them away. She hated herself for looking so weak in front of him. "Every time I tell myself I'm done, you find a way to creep right back into me." she continued.

The car slowed down and they remained silent until it hit a complete stop. Once the driver announced their arrival at the hotel, Hinako had woken up. The door already opened and they were instantly greeted by a bellboy.

"Hinako, get out." Shinomiya commanded.

She was still groggy and not really in the mood to take orders, so she scowled until he physically pushed her out of the car. Bella, on the other hand, was about to step out when Shinomiya grabbed her wrist and pulled her back in, plopping her on the seat as he caged over her.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded.

He instructed the driver to park just before shifting seats. Her heart pounded in her chest and they gazed at each other. They both hesitated to speak.

"You...want to play Staring Contest?" she broke the silence. She tried to lighten the mood by continuing, "Just so you know, I already have the upper hand...my eyes can't get anymore moist than this."

Shinomiya wasn't pleased. "I thought you were tired of these games."

"I am." she instantly replied, wiping the last of her tears.

"Then why start?"

"Because it's the only way you'll ever talk to me!" she snapped. She looked away with a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You never tell me exactly what you want. You keep making me guess, and every time I feel like I've got it, it turns out I don't!" her voice rose in frustration.

She turned to him, eyes were growing wilder by the second as she continued, "You tell me to not have any expectations? What was last night, then? Don't kiss me when we've agreed we'll _finally_ just be friends. Friends don't kiss friends!"

Bella puffed in annoyance before starting to calm down. "Geez, what am I doing?" she shook her head in her own disappointment. "I'm exactly everything I said I wouldn't be with you…"

She shut her eyes for a brief second and let out an audible sigh. "What do you want from me, Shinomiya?"

"Everything." he quickly replied. The word came out like a desperate cry, and although he said it in haste, he was certain that it was truly what he wanted.

Her eyes shot open and she stared at him for a second before narrowing her eyes at him. "You...confuse me."

He leaned forward and dug his face into his palms. "I...don't know what I'm doing either." the agitation was evident in his voice. "I...don't know how this works…" he started as he looked up and met her eyes. He gently took her wrist and continued, "But...I want you to stay with me."

She could only manage to sit there and blink. It dawned on her that she wasn't dreaming when he said the same words last night. He squeezed her hand and said, "I want more than this." His voice was quiet, yet full of certainty.

She looked away sighed. "You made me go through so much this morning just to tell me that?"

His brows creased. "Would you really want to have this conversation with Hinako and my mother in the room?"

Bella chewed on her bottom lip. "But I'm leaving." she ruefully answered. "Everything's been set."

"I know. I don't know what to do." he admitted.

Love is a game that is played by two. The rules are not a 'one size fits all'. In fact, the players of the game make their own rules. But despite all this, it is only in this game where two losers can create true winners.

Bella pursed her lips and slowly leaned forward. Despite his confession, she still hesitated. She locked eyes with him, and felt the walls around him break down. His eyes once again burned bright amber, and she saw something different in him. His eyes reflected hope and longing for a new start.

"Shinomiya," she spoke. The sound of his name on her lips always sounded so sweet. But this time, the uncertainty of what would come next to it frightened him. "I don't know what to do either." she added ruefully. But then, she smiled at him coyly.

"But we'll figure it out." she stated.

He then sighed with relief as he placed his hand atop her head. Although they didn't really have any concrete resolutions, Shinomiya was satisfied with the fact that he wouldn't have to figure it out alone. Like what Dojima said, it takes two to make a relationship work. In her eyes, he saw the promise of a future, and he was sure that this was all he ever wanted.

* * *

Together, they stepped out of the limousine and was awaited by their friends at the entrance of the hotel. Shinomiya proceeded, but then stopped when he noticed Bella still leaning against the car door. He walked back, eyes full of concern as he asked, "What's wrong?"

Her cheeks were dusted pink as she averted his gaze. "It's...weird. We've been doing this for so long. We've been hiding _us_ for so long that it's just weird for everyone to finally see it."

He looked at her incredulously.

"What?!" she spat, looking at him.

" _You're_ awkward about this?" he said in disbelief.

"Well, yeah, aren't you?"

Shinomiya looked back at their friends who were waiting with prolonged anticipation. Then he looked back at her. "Of course I am." he answered as he shyly placed his hands in his pockets. He licked his lips nervously and smirked. "But this is the way it's going to be from now on."

Hearing those words made her feel like a giddy highschooler. Quickly, she placed a hand over her mouth, covering half of her face as she turned scarlet. Her heart continued to skip a beat, and even started pounding when she felt Shinomiya reach to gently turn her face to him.

Without warning, he leaned in and captured her lips. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized this was the first time they'd ever kissed in public. She nearly held her breath, and out of old habits, she attempted to push him away. Quickly, Shinomiya took her wrists and held her as he deepened the kiss. Without the rules of casual commitments, there was no need for the instinct to hide, or deny their affair.

She almost wished that he wouldn't pull away. As he stepped back, he couldn't help but chuckle at how stupefied she looked. "Let's go," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him. "I'm sure they have questions. You have to answer them."

Still recovering from being completely flushed, Bella blurted out in protest, "Me? Why me?"

"Relationships are give and take, right?" he joked.

She came to an abrupt halt. "Relationships?" she repeated dumbly. It was as if she had lost all her logic. Everything felt like it was happening too fast, and yet, at the back of her mind, there was nothing she could really complain about. "You're...my boyfriend?" she carefully asked.

He too stopped, and turned to her. A playful smirk played on his lips. "What else would I be?"

Bella bit her bottom lip, trying to control the stupid grin on her face. Perhaps they didn't have everything completely figured out yet. But by declaring the new role he was playing in her life, she became confident that they would be just fine. She couldn't wait to see how this would all play out.


	16. We'll Always Have Paris

Chapter 16: We'll Always Have Paris

Shinomiya Kojiro stood at the arrival gate of Charles de Gaulle airport. He took a quick glance at his wrist watch and grumbled. The flight from Florence landed thirty minutes ago. How long would it take a person to get their bags and walk out?

He walked around and whipped out his phone. Somehow, he had managed to have her number on speed dial. After a few attempts, her number was still out of reach. Where oh where could she possibly be?

Suddenly, he felt a quick collision from behind him. Arms hastenly enveloped him as her head rested against his back. "Don't get mad. Sorry I'm late." she said.

He turned around and pinched her cheek, to which she winced in annoyance. "What the hell took you so long?" he asked through gritted teeth. Leave it to Bella to test his patience. But even though that was the case, his temper would be short-lived because his longing for her would always trump over it.

"I…" she hesitated, holding up a paper bag. "Had to get macarons, sorry."

He narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue at her. "You know there are like a million of that here, right?"

"I got too excited!" she shamefully admitted.

Shinomiya could only manage to chuckle. He grabbed her suitcase and they began to walk. Instantly, she latched onto his arm and leaned her head against him. "So, did you miss me?" she poked.

"You wish." he teased.

It had been three weeks since they last saw each other. Bella left Tokyo for Florence, seeing as it was still the most logical thing to do. However, she did say that she wasn't committing to it completely and that a possibility of going back to Tokyo might be arranged in a year or so. There was a lot to do at the auberge in Italy, and she insisted that she would rather be assigned there than keep flying back and forth. Not only that, but it made the most sense to be closer to Shinomiya who had already returned to Paris.

They took a cab to his apartment in Champs Elysees. The whole car ride, Bella just kept looking out the window, marvelling at the sights. Shinomiya could only sit back and watch in amusement. After being in Paris for years, it was quite refreshing to see someone who was still in awe of what he sees on a daily basis.

"So, what hotel did you book me in?" she turned to him.

"Hotel Shinomiya." he deadpanned.

She faked surprise, "What? What makes you think I'm sleeping in your apartment?"

His brows furrowed as he got annoyed. "And why the hell isn't that your _only_ option?"

Her lips curled up into a sly smirk. She leaned in and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "So, I think you _did_ miss me."

Quickly, Shinomiya turned away, his cheeks dusted pink at their closeness and her suggestion. Still, he was getting accustomed to this new feeling of being in love. He hadn't been in a relationship for so long that it was so easy for him to get so embarrassed by a public display of affection.

She giggled and pulled back. "Just kidding, Chef."

When they reached their destination, Bella could only stand in awe as she listened to Shinomiya have quick exchanges with the cab driver who was pulling out her luggage from the trunk. Once the car drove off, Shinomiya noticed her odd expression and spat, "What?"

She pursed her lips and looked away. "You...sound so sexy speaking in French." she shyly answered.

He snorted and pulled her luggage. "Come on," he started, grabbing her hand. She continued to look at him longingly and he just rolled his eyes at her. "Geez, is it really that big of a deal?"

* * *

He lived in a one-bedroom apartment on the top floor of the building. Much like his apartment in Tokyo, it was immaculately clean. The walls were white, the place smelled like citrus, and somehow, it just had that immensely cozy feel to it. If that wasn't enough to make her jaw drop, the view from Shinomiya's foyer was the tip of the Eiffel Tower.

" _Cazzo_ ," she muttered. "You can see the Eiffel Tower from here!"

She scampered to the foyer and her eyes widened. Paris was indeed, a sight to behold. The air was different, the apartments were all uniform, even the traffic could be overly romanticized. " _Dio Mio!_ Do you really live here?" she called out.

Shinomiya was in the kitchen making tea to accompany the macarons that she bought. It was late in the afternoon and he figured she would be excited to have a snack, especially since it was something sweet. She stepped back in and couldn't help but look around. She would walk into one room then scurry off to another. It was only when Shinomiya set down tea cups and a plate of macarons that she had decided to come back and plop beside him on the couch.

"Why didn't you tell me to come here sooner?" she pouted. "If I had known your apartment was this amazing, I would have booked a ticket much earlier."

He flicked a finger to her forehead and shook his head. "I did, you idiot. _You_ were the one who kept saying that you were still too busy."

She grabbed a macaron and bit into its lush flavor. Her eyes rolled back and she sighed dreamily. "I wish I was born French instead."

He laughed and thumbed through her hair. "And you think I'm French?"

"Of course not," she answered. Bella stretched and laid down. "But you actually had the choice to come here. Mine was either just stay in Tokyo or go back home to Florence." she added, looking up at him from his lap.

He looked around his own apartment. In Shinomiya's point of view, there was nothing special about it. He lived a simple life. There were no unnecessary items since he wasn't the type to hoard. He rarely ate anything at home since he would either grab a bite in his restaurant or check out his competitors. His apartment was simply a place to sleep in.

"Kojiro?" Bella softly called, seeing him in deep thought.

It had been a while since he had a woman in his apartment too. As compared to his past experiences of having people over, the thought of her visiting kept him up at night. The minute she surprised him with a ticket to Paris, his heart pounded in both fear and excitement. These feelings were quite foreign to him.

"Hm?" he absentmindedly replied, then turning to gaze at her.

"What do you want to do today?"

But no matter how foreign they were, he welcomed them fervently.

"What do _you_ want to do?"

Truthfully, there were too many things he wanted to do. Just thinking about it caused a bumper to bumper traffic in his head.

"Our meeting with Reo is tomorrow night. Did you want to prep for it?" she asked, sitting up and moving to position herself on his lap.

"We've been prepping for it all week."

She looked up in thought. "Hm, yeah, but it was mostly just through FaceTime."

"Right…" he trailed off. His hand slid down to the small of her back. She instantly perched up, wrapping her legs around his waist. "I'd rather do something we can't do through FaceTime." he added, moving his other hand to trace her jawline.

She could see the predatory glint in his eye. Bella leaned in, her hot breath teased his lips as she replied, "Well, me too."

Three weeks could feel like forever for a man and woman who are in love. How they managed to survive a long distance relationship was a mystery to Bella, but to Shinomiya, he knew exactly why they were making it work. She was different, but she was exactly what he needed.

In his pursuit of three stars, it turned out that he didn't need a 'temporary fix'. He needed a partner. In his history of dating, he would meet wonderful women who were a par with his standards, but none of them ever complimented his way of living. They were too needy, too jealous, too dramatic. Bella wasn't any of that. In the end, who knew that something so complicated as a Casual Commitment can actually give him everything he ever wanted?

He slid his hand under her shirt and lavished in the feeling of her warm skin. He breathed in her scent, missing that smell of strawberries. Her lips were as soft as he could remember. Her touch was still as electric as it could be.

Bella emitted a sweet cry for more as she felt his lips lapping on the crook of her neck. "K-kojiro…" she moaned into his ear as he began to unbutton her silk shirt. This sheer cry of pleasure drove him insane, making his fingers shake with anticipation. His thoughts were at war with his body as he wanted to go slow, savoring every moment of their union. But his body seemed to disagree as he moved quicker and quicker.

He stopped to gaze at her, cheeks turned pink, lips plush from kissing and hair disheveled as she sat over him with just her jeans and black lingerie. To him, she was beautiful despite being fresh out of the airplane.

She toyed with the hemline of his shirt as she coyly pouted. "What?" she asked, gazing into his eyes that burned bright amber.

Shinomiya cupped her cheeks and puffed them together, as if to goof around with her. He chuckled and said, "I've missed you."

She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled. "I know. I never doubted that you did."

His heart immediately sank and he had the sudden urge to wrap his arms around her. It was never easy for Shinomiya to feel so emotional. He didn't do _feelings_. But everything she seemed to say or do made him weak. He was sure that he was now sprung.

They continued with feverish kisses. Right as Shinomiya moved her to the bed, the incessant ring of Bella's phone echoed in the living room. "Kojiro...my phone…" she breathed out in raspy sighs as he continued to undress her.

"Leave it." he growled.

But the phone continued and eventually, they had given up and had to pause.

From his bedroom, Shinomiya could hear her talking to Reo. He was certain it was him, because she would start speaking in a combination of Italian and Japanese. Not to mention, she would say the usual term of endearment, ' _caro_ ', which he was starting to find annoying.

After a few minutes, she skipped back to the bedroom. "Sorry about that. Reo wanted to confirm our meeting for tomorrow." she informed, sitting down beside him on the bed. Without saying a word, he pushed her down and caged over her. "Woah! wait - " she exclaimed, blinking in surprise.

"No more phones." he scolded as he leaned in and continued where they left off.

She could feel his covetous fingers trace the outline of her curves. His kisses turned into nips on her skin. Although she enjoyed it, she couldn't help but wonder what turned him so beastly in a minute. "Shinomiya, you okay?" she managed to ask in between breaths.

He could only grunt in reply. Not a second later, the phone rang again and immediately, he laced his fingers to hers and pinned her down. "Later." he snapped.

"Shinomiya, come on," she argued, wanting to find out the source of his sudden ire. "Let me at least put it on silent. The ringing is driving me crazy." she reasoned, but it was instantly ignored.

Her body weakened under his hold and she waited for him to calm down. When Shinomiya felt her lack of passion, he stopped and pulled away. "What is it?" he asked.

She sat up grabbed her phone, putting it in silent mode before tucking it away inside one of his drawers. Despite her efforts to give him her full attention, he still looked unamused by this.

"There. All better." she proclaimed, sitting on his lap.

She couldn't help but notice that he had suddenly lost his appetite. She nuzzled on the crook of his neck and started planting tender kisses all the way to his collarbone. "What's wrong?" she whispered, looking up. "You started being weird after that call with Reo... _wait,_ " she paused and straightened herself. "Is it Reo?"

"No," he huffed, pulling her on top of him again.

"You have a problem with it?" she asked, gazing into his eyes.

"No."

But still, she wasn't convinced. "Then why are you acting weird?"

"I'm not."

"Shinomiya." she snapped.

"What?"

She pressed her lips together and pushed herself off. "Okay." she sighed.

He immediately sat up, baffled at her sudden exit. "What now?" he groaned.

She turned, arms over her chest and pinching her nose in annoyance. Slowly, she pulled the drawer and retrieved her phone. "Might as well return some phone calls while I give you some air." she said, turning her heels

The desperation bubbled inside of him like a seething volcano. He waited three weeks for this. Is a phone call really more important than him? Moreover, is a phone call from that filthy rich dunderhead more interesting than him?

"Why do you have to call him like that?" Shinomiya blurted out.

There was silence. "Like what?" she clarified, still turning his back on him.

"Those Italian things that you say…" he grumbled.

" _Caro_?" she confirmed as she turned to face him. Hearing that single word seemed to make Shinomiya twitch. He averted his gaze to the mattress. "Is this what it's about? The pet names I call him?" she said, making her way towards him.

She stopped at the foot of the bed and reached for his hands. Carefully, she placed them on her waist, encouraging him to come closer. Reluctantly, he obliged and proceeded to pull her down onto his lap again. They locked eyes and waited for each other to say a word. The silence between them was only broken when Bella couldn't help but giggle at his behavior.

He arched a brow in reply and she said, "I never took you to be the jealous type."

He shamefully looked away and countered, "We haven't seen each other in three weeks…" as he tightened his embrace on her waist.

"I know," she said softly, leaning in to give him a quick peck on the lips. "I'm sorry. No more calls."

He placed his hand atop her head. "You killed the mood."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Me again?" she scoffed.

"Your damn phone has been ruining everything since we first met."

She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, do you want to try again?"

Shinomiya paused and looked up to the clock. The sun was shining brightly on this spring day, which was a relief, given that it had been raining on and off the past few days. If they left his apartment at this time, they would still have the chance to see the sights. Later on, they could see the sun set at the Pont Alexandre.

He could vividly remember the child-like wonder that was in her eyes on the cab ride home. And although he found it so foolish at first, he would give anything to make her feel as happy as she made him.

He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and said, "Later. Let's go out first."

"What?" she was puzzled.

He pulled her away and stood up, grabbing his shirt from the floor. "Where are we going?" she asked, mimicking his movements.

"You've never been to Paris, right?"

* * *

Everything went according to his plan. They strolled around the streets of Paris, seeing the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, and the Seine River. By sunset, they stopped at the Pont Alexandre and Bella insisted that he take her photo. Shinomiya simply rolled her eyes at her request.

"Don't roll your eyes at me," she chastised. "I'm going to send this to my family. They're dying to see what Paris is like."

He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close. "They've never been here?"

"No, and I don't think they've ever dreamed about it. When I got back after Totsuki, I moved out to the downtown area for work. My father goes back and forth Japan, but everyone else remained in the countryside." she explained as she continued to tap on her phone.

Shinomiya always wondered what her family was like. Surely, in the time they spent together, they have gotten to know more and more about each other. However, because of their previous arrangement, they always tiptoed around each other's personal lives. He realized all he knew about her family was that they always sent her a box of treats when she lived in Tokyo.

"What's your family like?" he asked.

She smirked, still busy with her phone. "Why? Did you want to meet them?" she joked.

"Maybe."

Bella stopped and looked at him in surprise. "You're kidding, right?" she chuckled, still taking it as a joke. But his expression was serious as a heart attack. "Don't you think we're moving too fast?" she continued to quip.

"Seriously, _too fast_?" he scoffed, thinking about how they started their relationship. "And I'm not talking about now. The future, probably."

She could only grin at the last thing he said. Her heart had never felt so full, and the butterflies in her stomach only continued to flutter their wings. _How did we end up here?_ She would think to herself all the time. From high school love, to casual partners and now real lovers with the possibility of a future - she couldn't believe it.

"Hm? What?" he arched a brow and asked.

Bella shook her head fervently and quickly snapped a picture of him with her phone.

He groaned and tried to snatch it from her. "Delete that!" he demanded.

"No can do." she stuck her tongue out to him. "But it's for my eyes only." she then gave him a wink.

Kojiro sighed and placed a hand atop her head. "So, dinner? You want to go to Shino's?"

"But we'll be there tomorrow!" she pouted.

They stopped to discuss about all the places they could have dinner. There was the quaint Montmartre, the posh Champs Elysees, or they could always wind up in his own restaurant. They tried to figure out what she craved for as they walked to the substation.

Shinomiya sighed in exasperation. Perhaps there is some truth to what people say, choosing a place to eat with a woman is one of the most aggravating things in a relationship. "Have you made up your mind?"

"Home?" she suggested with a smile.

* * *

It was around 10 o'clock and Shinomiya was in the middle of preparing dinner. True to his style of cooking, his apartment was quiet, except for the sizzling pans and the bubbling pots. He originally promised Abel and Lucie that he would drop by the restaurant before closing time, but he noticed that Bella was starting to zone out in the train; her energy level was visibly crashing. He guessed it was from working non-stop in Florence. This urged him to forego the original plan.

When dinner was set, Shinomiya entered the bedroom and found her asleep on his bed. No wonder it was so quiet. It surprised him that she was wearing one of his shirts, when he knew for a fact that her suitcase was heavy enough to have packed her silk pajamas or negligee. She was snuggled soundly underneath his sheets and he sighed as he gazed at her. The thought of seeing her there scared him...but in a good way. He had never felt so sure of the fact that he had to have her there. The thought of her staying only in Paris for five days broke his heart. He knew it simply wouldn't be enough.

He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. "Dinner." he simply said, and her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Already?" she asked as she stretched her arms and legs.

"You lost your pajamas or something?" he quipped, eyeing her from head to toe.

"No," she answered, yawning. "Your clothes just feel better on my skin."

He just shook his head at her silliness. "Come on."

The _vino_ was set and they enjoyed the ratatouille that he had made for them. A simple, quiet dinner for two in his apartment. There were no candelights, no music, just the lights of Paris from his foyer and yet, it was equally as satisfying as having it in a romantic restaurant.

"You know that this is our first date, right?" she quipped.

But she was actually right. When they left Fukuoka, they had no time to actually go out together as a couple. Bella had to fly the next day to Florence, and after that, the three weeks of long distance had already begun.

"I told you we should've just had dinner outside." he shrugged.

"Why?" she tilted her head to the side and smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

He felt his cheeks turn warm and he instantly reached for his wine to take a sip. Truthfully, he wouldn't have it any other way either.

"Just so you know…" she started, as she played with her food. "I do _not_ sleep with guys on the first date."

"Says the girl who's waltzing around my apartment in my shirt and her underwear." he deadpanned.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Ooh, you're evil." she snarled.

He merely smirked at her remark.

A little later when the plates have been washed and the table and counter tops wiped, Bella was back in bed FaceTiming with her boss, Donato,who was in Japan. In Paris, they were about to tuck themselves in. But in Japan, they were just about to have their morning espresso.

"How is Tadokoro Megumi so far, Chef?" Bella asked, as he watched him walk around the auberge.

"She's settled in quite well. I'm pretty sad she's only here for the Spring Break."

"Isn't she going to stick around after graduation?"

"She says she hasn't decided yet, since she'll have to go back to her home town and look after the Ryokan. But she promises that she'll help out once in a while."

"Still sounds promising," she beamed. "I miss everyone. How are you and Ruth?"

"Same old, same old…" he sang. By this time, Bella could hear the kitchen starting to fill up. "But how about you? How is Paris?"

"It's wonderful. Thanks again for letting me take a break."

" _Prego._ Besides, you and Shinomiya have that meeting with Reo, right?"

Donato had to cut the conversation short when it seemed that everyone had already timed in. It was the usual company call they had in the morning. As she placed her phone down, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was only then she realized how complicated it is to have this life. The life of a chef is never easy, and sometimes, it gets lonely. The more you gain success, the more mobile you become. You get used to not having a favorite place. But then, when you do, the inevitability of leaving always breaks your heart.

"You alright?" Kojiro called.

Bella looked up and nodded her head. He had just stepped out of the shower, clad only in sleep pants with a towel around his neck. They had never been so at home with each other until now.

"I'm fine." she replied, snuggling under the sheets.

Soon, he climbed into the bed and kissed her forehead. " _Bonne nuit,*_ " he whispered and laid down beside her.

She turned to face him. Her eyes were bright as she gazed at him, her mouth slightly open in wonder as she waited for him to speak more.

" _Quel est le problemé_?*" he nonchalantly replied, sitting up. Shinomiya's lips moved into a devious smirk. He knew exactly what he needed to do to push her buttons.

Shinomiya continued to speak in French and although everything seemed like jibberish - _beautiful_ jibberish to her, she couldn't stop him.

"How am I supposed to sleep now?!" she complained, sitting up too. _God_ , how he sounded and looked so sexy.

"Then don't." he dared.

Bella sighed dreamily and moved to his lap. Out of all the places in the world, this would now have to be her favorite. At the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wish that she would never have to leave. "Oh, wait! Let me turn off my phone." she said with delight, then proceeded to lean back and grab it. After a few taps, she placed it on his side of the nightstand and said, "Done. Nothing should come between us tonight."

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek. She leaned against his palm and kissed it. "Hmmm, I feel a little weird." she murmured.

"Why?" he asked cautiously.

"I don't have to say goodbye after this."

The ends of Shinomiya's lips curled up into a tender smile. "And I won't let you."

* * *

 _One more chapter :)_

 _Quel est le problemé_?* - What's the problem?

 _Bonne nuit,* -_ Goodnight


	17. Great Expectations (Finale)

Chapter 17: Great Expectations

It seemed like it had been forever since they were this intimate. His hands roamed under her shirt as his tongue coaxed her own. Shinomiya's touch was electric - every sweeping motion of his calloused fingertips sent a wave of pleasure against her skin. In the midst of this blissful haze, Bella managed to put her hands up, surrendering this night to him. He acknowledged by undressing her of his own shirt.

Her fingertips dug onto his back as he mapped her chest with love bites. Her cries were a mix of both pleasure and pain. Midway, he stopped and looked up, thinking he was probably too rough. But he smirked in delight seeing the lust in her eyes. He flipped her over and caged her on the mattress. Slowly, he peeled off the last of her clothing. She did the same.

Shinomiya pushed her hair back and pressed a chaste kiss on her lips. When he pulled away, her eyes bore into his and for a split second, he felt like he would drown in her gaze. "I've missed you...so much." her voice quivered with the intensity of her emotions.

"I've missed you too." he replied and took her in.

They continued two more times that night.

* * *

Bella had always been a heavy sleeper, but for the first time, she awoke earlier than usual. The reason for her wake was the sudden motion of Shinomiya pulling her close to his chest. Her eyes shot open in shock, and when she slightly jolted in fear, she heard him grumble something unintelligent and her heart had instantly calmed down. She felt silly for forgetting that she didn't need to leave his apartment last night. Not like she could, since she was all the way in France, but she still had to get used to the idea that waking up next to him was an option now.

She tried to reach for her phone, but his hold on her waist was way too strong. Instead, she closed her eyes in retreat and snuggled closer to him. Ten more minutes in bed couldn't hurt.

Later, she awoke to the smell of coffee coming in from the kitchen. She sat up and was surprised to see that he wasn't beside her anymore. " _Cazzo,_ how long did I fall asleep?" she grumbled, running her fingers through her hair. She reached for her phone and confirmed, she fell asleep again way beyond what she intended. But then again, she couldn't blame herself for such a thing. Her exhaustion came from the soreness of her muscles. She stretched and sprawled on the bed, feeling the consequences of last night.

When she finally got up, she grabbed his shirt again from the floor and dressed herself. She made his bed, thinking that if she didn't, he would scold her for it later. But then again, she wouldn't mind. She was sure that Shinomiya would teach her a lesson...on the bed. In an instant, last night replayed in her head and she couldn't help but feel the butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"Sheesh, Isabella." She continued to straighten up his room as she verbally scolded herself.

"You're not secretly a psycho, are you?" he teased as he appeared at the doorway.

She whipped her head to his direction and wondered how long he had been watching her. "If I was, then you'd be a complete fool to be in love with a girl like me." she instantly countered with a grin. But then, it all quickly faded away when she realized, and easily assumed the word "love" from his perspective.

Shinomiya had already told her that he wanted her and missed her. However, she had never heard him say those three words, _I love you,_ since day one. Bella never bothered to rush him because she knew Shinomiya was...well, Shinomiya. It can be assumed that he was probably too proud to admit his feelings, but nonetheless, she believed them anyway with the way he held her, kissed her, and even the mere act of looking at her.

"Actions speak louder than words," she would always tell herself. But every now and then, she couldn't help but wish that he would say those words too.

She pursed her lips and crumpled the sheets in her hands. _Shit._

But relief came over her when Shinomiya brushed it off and said, "Touché."

Her face instantly lit up seeing him smirk. He was leaning at the doorway, dressed for the day, as he watched her clean up. This setup was so simple, yet monumental enough to make her heart soar. Seeing him in the early morning sun made her feel elated, that she was unknowingly blushing like a lovesick teenager.

"What time do you need to be at the restaurant?" she asked, fluffing the pillows before neatly placing them side by side.

"We have to leave in an hour."

"An hour?!" her mouth dropped. She then pushed her way past him, yelling out, "Why the heck didn't you wake me up sooner?! That's not enough time to get ready!"

He was stunned for a minute as she bolted through the door. Shinomiya had never seen a woman so frantic in his entire life. "How can that not be enough?" he argued through the bathroom door.

"Because -" she tried to reason out. The sound of water running came after. "It just isn't."

There were some things he had already memorized about her: like how she always craved for sweets at night, how easily she gets distracted by phone calls, the face she makes with each emotion she tries to convey, her odd habits like crumpling things at hand when she feels awkward, and how she always battled with time. That last one aggravated him the most. Bella was always either too early or too late.

She rushed and scampered around his apartment like a mad man. So much for refinement. In public, she always seemed to be so put together, but behind closed doors, Bella was a total mess. Minutes later, she stepped out in a floral white and red dress. Her hair damp from her morning shower, but face made up with the most natural looking makeup. She finally calmed down.

"I forgot…" she said, making her way towards him and standing on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the lips. "Good morning, Chef."

Shinomiya smiled a little and shook his head. Still, there was something sexy about the way she called him, or maybe he was just a little elated every time he was reminded of who he was. "Hungry?" he asked, taking his coffee.

"A little." she replied, smiling as she turned to the table. On the table was a plate with two slices of toast and right beside it was a bottle of Nutella. Her brows furrowed upon seeing her morning habit spread out in front of her. She turned to him again, "You...remember?"

"It's not that hard. Your habits are easy to memorize." he casually stated.

She knew that he wasn't quite fond of sweets. Hence, this special bottle of hazelnut spread was solely purchased just for her. Shinomiya would never admit it, but he probably went out of his way just to get it. He could've been more romantic about it, but eh, that's Shinomiya.

"You have five minutes." he strictly reminded.

Bella instantly panicked and sat down to have breakfast. She didn't bother to ask if he would join her. From what she observed in the past, Shinomiya hardly ate anything in the morning.

Five minutes later and they were out the door. They quietly held hands as they walked, hopped on the subway and made it to Shino's. Just a regular morning commute for a new couple in Paris.

* * *

It was a busy Wednesday for Shino's. Bella mostly stayed in his office, casually dropping by the kitchen throughout the day, but then Shinomiya would catch her stealing food from the lineup and he didn't hesitate to scold her. He was always so critical in his kitchen and she was no exception.

It was nearly 9 o'clock at night when Hideyuki Reo came in the restaurant. Shino's wasn't too busy that night, so it was conducive enough for them to talk business. It had been a while since Shinomiya had seen the rich punk. Still, he would grit his teeth every time he watched him lay a finger of the Italian sous chef.

"You're actually on time today." Bella praised as she poured Reo another round of wine.

"I was in the area," he said, then wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Besides, I'd never be late to a meeting with you."

"With Chef Shinomiya, _caro,_ not me. I'm just here for support." she politely corrected.

They talked business for a good hour. Deals were struck on the table, a little bargaining here and there, and they ended up with a win-win situation. By the end of the first bottle of wine, Reo had decided to invest in Shino's Paris. The sole condition being that he had bragging rights to everyone that he is a shareholder of the branch once it gained the much-coveted three stars. Of course, aside from that, there were talks about returns on investment and other mathematical things to be considered.

Shinomiya hated to ask for help. But all things considered, if he really wanted those three stars, he would have to amp up his game - better ingredients, equipment, and training. With all that comes the need for money. He was also rushing because he was working double time to increase the popularity of the Tokyo branch as well. Moreover, he was considering opening another branch in New York. All of these pressures in his career were financially burdensome. But he was never one to be satisfied with the way things are. There was always the constant need to grow.

Although the weight of Shino's had finally been lifted off Shinomiya's chest, surviving the hour of watching him flirt with his girlfriend aggravated him. Every now and then, Reo would slide his hand over hers. To Shinomiya's relief, Bella would politely divert the situation such as pouring more wine, or gesturing her hands up as she spoke. That one hour seemed like forever.

As they said their goodbyes, Reo tried his luck again as they stood by the doorway of the restaurant. A driver was awaiting in a black car, and yet, he seemed to be reluctant to leave. "So," he started, trying to charm his way again to the Italian. "I remember you telling me that you've never been to Paris, Bella. Would you like to see the sights with me tonight?" he tempted.

She was a little bewildered by his invitation. Normally, there wouldn't be an issue with her hanging out with him. They've done it a million times before, especially when he would drop in the auberge in Italy. But there was a unique variable in this equation that would yield her to say 'no'. She felt the weight of Shinomiya's shadow behind her.

"You're generous as usual, _caro_ , but it's quite alright. I've already made a deal with the Abel and Lucie to see the sights. Doing touristy things together is a great way to start a friendship, don't you think so?"

Reo wasn't convinced. He crossed his arms over his chest. "It's unlike you to turn me down." he frowned. "I wouldn't risk having another man whisking you away, especially when Paris is full of possibilities for a woman like you." his tone became a little more aggressive.

She awkwardly laughed in return. _Oh, that's not possible._

"Well, Isabella?" he said, extending his hand towards her.

Suddenly, Shinomiya placed a firm hold on her waist and pulled her close to him. "Thanks for your generosity, but _I_ can show her around Paris."

"Oh," Reo mouthed in surprise.

Bella was surprised with this sudden reaction from the Pluspol chef. He stared down the business tycoon, as he firmly kept his fingers on the outline of her curves. Shinomiya was like a tiger protecting its territory. He wasn't angry, but he was firm about it.

Reo chuckled. "Really now?" he replied incredulously.

"Yes," Bella confirmed with a sheepish smile. She then moved to wrap her arms around Shinomiya's arm. "Sorry, Reo. I guess I should have told you earlier."

"As long as you're happy, _caro_." he assured, a scowl on his face as he walked away. Just before stepping in the black car, he turned and yelled out, "But if you're not, you know how to reach me, Bella." With a wink and a chuckle, he was off.

When he drove off, an audible sigh escaped their lips. "I can't believe you did that!" she scolded, letting go of his arm. "You should have waited for me to tell him. What if that went south and he pulled out the investment? After everything we've been through?"

He flicked a finger to her forehead, which made her grimace. "He already signed the contract. And he won't pull out. He likes you too much... _way_ too much." He rolled his eyes at the last bit of his sentence. He had a feeling this wouldn't be the last of his flirty antics.

She could have sworn that he was jealous. But deciding to not press the issue further, she walked back with him to the restaurant. "You'll still take me out tonight, right?" she confirmed.

"Maybe." he teased.

* * *

They were the last ones in the restaurant, insisting to the others that they should lock up that night. It was only fair since they couldn't show up yesterday.

Taking a detour to head over to the Arc de Triomphe, Bella began to frown, realizing that she only had three days left with him. The distance wasn't something she thought too much of. She believed that they would be okay. But she suddenly felt a sinking feeling in her chest as Shinomiya laced his fingers with hers.

 _I'm not even gone yet, and I already miss him._ She turned to him, eyes misty as she studied his features. Seeing him up close is so much better than FaceTiming. How could she have believed that video calling each other would be enough?

"Hm?" he turned to her.

She shook her head, assuring him that she was fine. "Are we there yet?"

"You really can be impatient at times." he pointed out.

Maybe she was. After all, this vacation hadn't even finished yet, and she already started plotting her next one. "Not always," she absentmindedly replied.

Shinomiya loosened his hold on her and stopped midway through his walk. As the Italian continued to move forward, he simply gazed at her from that short distance. His chest was overflowing with emotions; he was jealous because of how chummy Reo was with her, he was frustrated that he could only keep her close for a few more days, and he was pained with the fact that he would never know when exactly they could see each other again. At first, the long distance sounded so doable, but the more he felt her presence, the more he wished that he could never let her go.

He unknowingly allowed himself to feel. Then all at once, it became clear to him...he was in love.

"Kojiro, are you staying in Paris in the next two weeks...or in Tokyo?"

She, on the other hand, failed to notice him letting go of her hand. Bella was still consumed with her thoughts. She even tried to be mathematical about it. _If the first stage of renovation of the auberge can finish in 12 days, then I can take a 3 day break and fly to Paris again...or maybe offset this, or crash another schedule to have it sooner._

Noticing his silence, she turned around and found him standing a few feet away. His hands were in his pockets, eyes averted to the ground as he stayed tight-lipped. "Kojiro?" she called, walking back to him.

"Kojiro?" she called again, stopping just a foot away from him. "Why? Did I say something wrong?"

He finally looked up, brows knit together as he met her eyes. "I love you."

The tone of his voice was rushed, as the words came out like word vomit. He never intended for it to be that way. It almost sounded like he didn't mean it, like it lacked thought. So, it was expected that Bella just stood there dumbly, reluctant and overwhelmed by what he said.

"I…" he began, rubbing the back of his neck. Seeing her like that made him want to prove himself to her. He wanted her to feel every word, every syllable, of what he struggled to say. His stance then shifted as he pulled himself up and repeated, "I love you."

She blinked, astonished at the fact that she finally heard those words. She believed that he would say it to her someday, but she just didn't expect it to be this soon. A sigh escaped her lips and she smiled tenderly at him, relieved to actually hear that he felt the same way.

Slowly, Kojiro began to feel more and more exposed. "Well don't just stand there and dismiss my feelings!" he demanded, growing frustrated at her silence.

"I love you too!" she argued back, rolling her eyes at him. "Geez, who's _really_ the impatient one here?"

He abruptly grabbed her waist, pulling her close as he enveloped his arms around her petite frame. He kissed the top of her head and murmured those three words again.

"I love you too." she whispered back, sinking into his embrace.

She imagined how difficult it would be to say goodbye now. But deep in her heart, there was hope that things would only get better from here. _It could only get better_ , she affirmed as she snuggled into his chest.

With one last embrace, they pulled away and held hands continuing to head over to the Arc.

"Are you staying in Paris or Tokyo in two weeks?" she asked again, already planning her schedule.

"I don't know," he replied with a sigh.

Shinomiya appreciated all the effort she put herself through just to get to him. Other than that, he knew it would be a good idea to spend more time with her before just before hell officially starts when he pushes through with his plans for Shino's.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" she was baffled at his answered.

This time, he was sure. Wherever she was is where he wanted to be, and he would make sure of that to the best of his abilities. "It really depends…" he trailed off.

"Depends on what?"

With a knowing smirk, he turned to her and answered, "Where will you be in two weeks?"

 _-Fin-_

* * *

Author's Note: That's a wrap. I can't believe it's the end of the story. While writing this, I actually didn't expect it myself that I would fall in love with the dynamic of Bella and Shinomiya. It started out as just a self-indulgent fic, but as I kept writing and YOU kept reading and following this, I just became more attached and invested in their relationship. All the ups and downs, the fantasy and reality of their story just made me feel so happy and fulfilled to write this last chapter.

Side note: When I started this story, my boyfriend was already my beta by the 4th chapter. But now, him being FIANCÉ, he also found it sad that this story has come to an end. Safe to say, he became invested in it too. I distinctly remember on the day that he proposed, I was running a chapter idea by him...I think it was chapter 8 :)) It has become part of our routine. If you guys greatly enjoyed this, then you'll have to thank him for that. I check every idea by him! I say, "Is this tooo fantasy like? Because I want Bella and Shinomiya to have a realistic relationship." and he's always happy to give his input.

That being said, this is his idea...but should we make a sequel? We already have a concept in the works, and it's not what you'd expect. He was surprised when I told him the basic plot. But I don't know. With the end of the Shokugeki manga, I don't know if this fan base is still alive. Ah, anyway.

Thank you for sticking with me for almost 10 months. I luv u guys.


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